Maryland's roadways are among the most congested in the country. Since 1990, demand on state highways has grown by 22 percent with the trend expected to continue for the foreseeable future, escalating system deterioration and accelerating the need for system improvements.
The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), and local governments own and operate highways in the state of Maryland. SHA operates and maintains 5,130 miles of roadways including all major U.S. and state highways with the exception of roads inside the city of Baltimore. The MDTA owns, operates, and maintains all toll facilities in the state, including the Kennedy Memorial Highway, I-395 in Baltimore, the Francis
Scott Key Bridge, the Harbor Tunnel Thruway, the Thomas Hatem Bridge, the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, and the William Preston Lane Memorial Bridge. State law empowers the MDTA to establish all tolls in the State.
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) encompasses all travel modes- highway, transit, rail freight, airports, and seaports-and the Secretary of Transportation also serves as Chairman of MDTA. In terms of funding, all federal and state transportation funding enters a single consolidated Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) and MDTA has the ability to issue bonds secured by its own toll revenues (not by the TTF).