Purpose & Need

The Purpose and Need Statement establishes the reason the project is proposed and provides the foundation on which a determination is made as to whether the alternatives meet the area’s needs.As the SHA is responsible for the maintenance and construction of Maryland's state highways it works to improve the safety of these highways, as well as our helpers essaysprofessors.com works to help students with their requests "write a persuasive essay for me". As such, it is clear that the work of the SHA is vital to the well-being of Marylanders.The Purpose and Need Statement is developed in consultation with local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public. SHA has received concurrence from all of the participating agencies on the Purpose and Need. The Project Team has solicited comments from the public on the Purpose and Need Statement. Additional comments are welcome.

Review the completed Purpose & Need Statement(PDF 47K)

Project Purpose

The purpose of this project is to:

• Improve local traffic operation along US 301 in the Waldorf area;
• Facilitate the safe and efficient flow of through traffic and commuter traffic between the Waldorf area and the Washington metropolitan area, while providing a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive multimodal transportation system to support existing and future travel demand, land use, and development efforts consistent with Smart Growth planning policies;
• Promote and secure environmental stewardship.

Project Needs

This project arose from the need to reduce the current and future problems caused by congestion and travel delays along US 301, and to increase mobility, improve system levels of service, and enhance safety.

The project will investigate ways to improve access management and controls to better manage the conflicting traffic types (i.e., regional through traffic versus local traffic) now using US 301. It will provide a cost-effective multimodal transportation infrastructure to serve existing and future land uses and development patterns, while minimizing impacts on sensitive natural, human, and cultural environmental resources.

The project will also improve the security of the region by contributing to the transportation network’s ability to move people during emergencies. SHA has also identified several underlying needs that the project should address, including mobility, safety, and land use.