Will Smart Signals End Bowie, Landover Traffic Snarls?

BOWIE, MD — Gov. Larry Hogan says Maryland will spend $50 million for new traffic signals to ease congestion in portions of Prince George's County and other areas. Wednesday's announcement that the State Highway Administration install signals that detect traffic and change lights to improve the flow of vehicles is planned to help the commute for roughly 700,000 drivers a day on 14 major corridors statewide.

The system uses real-time traffic conditions and computer software that adjusts the timing of traffic signals, synchronizes the entire corridor, and uses artificial intelligence to keep traffic moving, officials said.

The Prince George's County corridors that will receive the smart signals are:

• US 301 Prince George’s County – Bowie – Excalibur Road to Governor’s Bridge Road, used by 65,000 vehicles a day
• MD 202 Prince George’s County – Landover – McCormick Drive to Arena Drive, used by 70,000 vehicles daily

“What we want to do is create the greatest value for the investment,” Greg Slater with the State Highway Administration told WTOP. He said the signals will be installed over the next year, starting with the Maryland 2 Richie Highway signal between in the Annapolis area.

“Last month, our administration introduced a bold Traffic Relief Plan beginning with three massive, unprecedented projects to widen the Capital Beltway, I-270, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway,” Hogan said in a news release. “This next phase will employ the newest technology to further ease congestion in Maryland. By replacing 20-year-old existing controls with Smart Traffic Signals, we will have the ability to respond to changes in traffic flow, as well as traffic conditions immediately.”

The work will replace traffic controls that are more than 20 years old and oblivious to the changes in traffic flow, including crashes, construction, and special events.

Traffic engineers will select intersections to upgrade to Smart Signals based on many factors, including traffic volume, intersection capacity, and traffic patterns. MDOT SHA conducted a Smart Signal pilot study on MD 24 between Singer Road and Boulton Street in Harford County. Preliminary results indicate a travel time reduction of 13 percent for the 40,000 daily drivers.

Last month, Hogan unveiled the first phase to invest $9 billion to add four new lanes to I-270, the Capital Beltway (I-495), and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295). Through a public-private partnership, MDOT is seeking private developers to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain new lanes on I-495 between the American Legion Bridge and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and on I-270 between I-495 and I-70. The Maryland Transportation Authority will build, operate, and maintain the new lanes on MD 295.

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