How CHART Operates

The CHART program is comprised of a number of systems, sub-systems, and internal programs and divisions that work closely together and with external partners and stakeholders to provide support for monitoring and controlling the activities of the Statewide Operations Center (SOC) and the local Traffic Operations Centers (TOCs), providing motorist information, and ensuring motorist safety through traffic monitoring, traveler information, incident management, and traffic management services and activities.

Traffic Management Center (TMC) Operationstop

Traffic Management Center (TMC) Operations is responsible for monitoring, collating, coordinating, documenting, and performing traffic management activities. Each CHART Operations Center is staffed by TMC Operators who monitor traffic conditions, dispatch responders to incidents, disseminate information to travelers, and coordinate among various stakeholder agencies in order to improve mobility and safety on the roadway.

Statewide Operations Center (SOC)

Located in Hanover, Maryland, the SOC serves as the centerpiece of OTMO’s CHART Operations. It is the only MDOT SHA Operations Center that operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The SOC serves as MDOT’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and is responsible for being aware of all incidents and situations affecting Maryland roadways and their impacts to the various regions and partner States. SOC also serves as an information clearinghouse that gathers roadway data from ITS devices, Maryland State Police, Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), emergency response patrols, local jurisdictions, etc.; interprets and processes that data; and responds to travel conditions to mitigate potential adverse impacts on motorists’ mobility and safety. The SOC also supports regional TOCs during their hours of operation and can serve in their capacity outside of their hours of operation.

The SOC is also responsible for monitoring and coordinating the daily activation of lane closure permits for roadwork along MDOT SHA roadways and coordination with the Office of Traffic & Safety (OOTS) to manage signal systems and maintenance.

Regional Operation Centers

Additional supplemental staffing is located at regional TOCs which are strategically located across the state and co-located within Maryland State Police Barracks. TOCs are responsible for dispatching CHART Patrols to the scene of incidents and disabled motorists along major roadways. A comprehensive map of the CHART Patrol area can be found here. Like the SOC, TOCs monitor and coordinate response to ongoing incidents with CHART Patrol presence on scene.

Region Location TOC Hours of Operation Patrol Hours
National Capital Region College Park State Police Barrack "Q" 5 AM - 9 PM 24/7*
Baltimore Region Golden Ring State Police Barrack "R" 5 AM - 9 PM 24/7*
Western Region Frederick County Law Enforcement Center MSP Barrack "B" 5 AM - 9 PM (Mon-Fri)
9 AM - 9 PM (Sat-Sun)
5 AM - 9 PM (Mon-Fri)
9 AM - 9 PM (Sat-Sun)
Eastern Region N/A N/A 5 AM - 9 PM (Mon-Fri)
*Communication through SOC outside of TOC hours of operation
Rashad Rice, Chief, TMC Operations
410-582-5605
DiAntrey Thompson, Training & Certification Manager, TMC Operations
410-582-5650
Kristen Routzahn, Manager, TMC Operations
410-582-5650
Aaron Williams, Manager, TMC Operations

Regional Operationstop

The CHART Regional Operations Division operates over 80 Emergency Patrol vehicles covering more than 2,000 lane miles of state highways. CHART Emergency Response Technicians (ERTs) respond to more than 35,000 stranded motorists and over 30,000 roadway incidents annually. In their custom patrol vehicles, CHART ERTs can establish temporary traffic control at incident scenes, relocate disabled or damaged vehicles from travel lanes to a safe location, and perform minor repairs to disabled motorists on the shoulder.

Each region is led by a Regional Manager, supported by Patrol Supervisors, who oversee day-to-day activities and one TMC supervisor from the TMC Division. The Division is also responsible for planning, preparing, and conducting emergency response training.

Timothy Peck, Chief, Regional Operations
410-582-5677
Kevin Fox, Manager, Training & Certification
410-582-5605
Wondell (Vince) Shaw, Manager, Fleet
410-582-5676

National Capital Region (NCR)

The NCR is responsible for traffic management along the Capital Beltway (I-95/495) and highways and interstates that cross the beltway―including US 50 from Anne Arundel County line to Washington D.C., I-270, MD 295, I-95, US 301, US 29, MD 97, and I-295. Patrols are dispatched from the Regional TOC housed within the College Park State Police Barrack in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Anthony "Scott" Lowman, Manager, National Capital Region

Baltimore Region

The Baltimore Region is responsible for traffic management along the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and highways and interstates and other state roadways that cross the beltway, including I-70, I-83, I-95, I-97, I-795, and MD 295. Patrols are dispatched from the Baltimore Region TOC housed within the Golden Ring State Police Barrack in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Jeramy Lanning, Manager, Baltimore Region

Western Region

Western Region is responsible for traffic management along I-70, I-270, I-81, US 340 and US 15 in Frederick, Howard and Washington Counties along with their intersecting routes. Patrols are dispatched from the Frederick County Law Enforcement Center in Frederick County, Maryland.

Eric Dubbert, Manager, Western Region

Eastern Region

Eastern Region is responsible for traffic management along

Andrew Orr, Manager, Eastern Region

Interagency Coordinationtop

Team members maintain close coordination/cooperation with Maryland State Police, as well as other first responders, and city, county, state, and federal partners and stakeholders such as the Maryland Transportation Authority, other MDOT Transportation Business Units (TBUs), the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC), the Virginia Department of Transportation, the District Department of Transportation, and the Eastern Transportation Coalition.

The Eastern Transportation Coalition

Maryland is a member of The Eastern Transportation Coalition, which is comprised of 26 agencies/organizations responsible for transportation along the corridor from Maine to Florida. The Coalition was established in 1993, and its mission is to "work cooperatively to improve mobility, safety, environmental quality and efficiency of inter-regional travel in the northeast through real-time communication and operational management of the transportation system. In doing so, the Coalition will seek to establish an economically beneficial multi-modal framework for early implementation of appropriate ITS technology."

To carry out the founding mission, the Coalition established a goal of implementing a set of integrated traffic management and traveler information systems along the I-95 corridor - CHART is an example of such a project. CHART provides the key Eastern Transportation Coalition link in Maryland and coordinates the statewide and regional needs of travelers and Coalition agencies. The coordination of incident management activities, dissemination of regional-oriented DMS and TAR messages, as well as the exchange of information with other Corridor agencies to address regional incidents along the corridor, is an integral part of CHART. An Eastern Transportation Coalition workstation is installed at the SOC, and it is connected to other regional traffic information providers such as SmartRoutes in Washington D.C.

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