MD 214: I-95/ I-495 to US 301

Location:	Prince George's County, Maryland
Clients:	Maryland State Highway Administration

MD 214 between I-95/I-495 (the Capital Beltway) and US 301 was historically a 2-lane road. In addition to serving as a commuter route between Bowie (and points east) and the nation's capital, MD 214 also serves the area around it, which experience significant development during the 1980s and 1990s, in accordance with Prince George's County's master plan.

We designed the reconstruction of this 6.5 mile long highway to provide a 4 to 6-lane divided roadway. Included were conversion of at-grade intersections to grade separated interchanges at MD 202 and Harry S. Truman Drive, traffic studies and improved ingress/egress at the U.S. Air Arena, seven new traffic signals, three new bridges, and relocated major water and sewer lines.

When we started work on MD 214 in 1984, the Average Daily Traffic on it ranged from 10,600 to 31,700; by 1998 it ranged from 16,000 to 51,000. The magnitude of improvement in safety can be seen by comparing 1976/1977 accident data with the data from 1996/1997. In 1976/1977, there were 213 accidents on MD 214; in 1996/1997 there were 194 accidents, even though daily traffic had increased by 125% during that 20 year period.