Maryland transportation projects could be delayed and local commuter bus service and roadway maintenance face significant cuts as a result of a more-than-$3 billion shortfall in funding the state’s six-year transportation plan, state officials said Tuesday.

Rising costs and dwindling revenue streams have contributed to the gap in funding the $21.2 billion draft plan, which will mean 8% cuts to operating budgets and 30% cuts to maintenance spending in many transportation agencies over the six-year span, officials said. The only agency to be spared is the Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates highway toll stations and funds itself through toll revenue.

Maryland residents will feel the cuts in a range of ways:

• For the fiscal year that begins July 1, the Motor Vehicle Administration will discontinue Saturday hours and impose a hiring freeze.
• Commuter bus service offered by the Maryland Transit Administration will be cut, while assistance for locally operated transit systems such as Baltimore County’s Towson Loop will be reduced by 40%. Trips on the MARC train’s Brunswick Line that runs to West Virginia will also be limited.
• The State Highway Administration will have to limit trash and litter pickup, guardrail replacement and other minor maintenance costs.

“None of these are decisions we want to make, but ones we have to make,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in an interview with The Baltimore Banner on Tuesday.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner:
A $3.3 billion hole: Maryland expected to make drastic cuts to transportation

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