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Maryland Opens New, State-of-the-Art Transportation Management Center



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May 6, 2008, News Report

Mayor Sheila Dixon was joined by United States Congressman Elijah Cummings, State of Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari, business and community leaders, and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation to announce the grand opening of the new Transportation Management Center (TMC). The TMC is a state-of-the-art facility designed to monitor traffic throughout the City of Baltimore.

"The Transportation Management Center is going to help move Baltimore forward," said Mayor Dixon. "With the benefit of the technology being used here, we will more efficiently manage traffic and transportation resources."

The TMC will serve as traffic operations center as well as an event and emergency command center. The $2.9 million facility will be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will have access to over 300 cameras that monitor the flow of traffic throughout the city. TMC personnel will use a variety of resources to inform the public about events affecting traffic on Baltimore's roadways.

"The Transportation Management Center is critical to effectively managing traffic on our City's increasingly congested roadways, by providing a single hub where officials can respond to traffic incidents and provide reliable information to drivers on current conditions," said Congressman Cummings. "More than $18 million in federal funding supported the development of this Center and related infrastructure - and as a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I will continue to fight to win funding to meet our City's critical mobility needs."

Working with the police and fire departments, State Highway Administration and other first responders, TMC Control System Operators are able to detect and assist in the handling of incidents. By identifying congestion-causing incidents quickly, clearance times will be reduced, and likelihood of a secondary accident will decline. In the future, the TMC will also be capable of transmitting traffic reports and advisories by radio.

"Governor O'Malley's key priorities are improving public safety on our roadways and strengthening homeland security," said Secretary Porcari. "Our State/City partnership and this new transportation center are valuable tools that will help achieve both these goals."

Please visit our website at www.baltimorecity.gov 2

 


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