4-22-2026 4:26am

Local Police Patrol

Jeff Barto Editor

On Monday, MDTA Police Officers targeted dangerous driving in and around work zones on I-95 and I-695 in Baltimore and Harford Counties. MDTA Police Officers partnered with troopers from the Maryland State Police during this high visibility enforcement initiative.

Officers targeted high speeds and other dangerous driving behaviors and conducted 103 traffic stops. Officers issued a combined 174 citations and warnings and arrested one driver who was wanted on an open warrant.

This traffic safety effort coincides with National Work Zone Awareness Week. The MDTA Police remind motorists to pay special attention when driving through work zones and that Safe Actions Save Lives.

Initiatives like these supplement everyday patrols, and additional efforts are planned throughout the year. To report dangerous driving on Maryland toll roads, contact MDTA Police Dispatch at 410-537-7911.

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police, a nationally accredited force, is the eighth-largest law enforcement agency in the State with more than 500 sworn and civilian law enforcement professionals. MDTA Police Officers provide law enforcement services at the MDTA’s highways, bridges, and tunnels, at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, and at the Port of Baltimore.

MDTA Police

History of NWZAW

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an event that takes place across the United States, with partnerships between state departments of transportation (DOT), national road safety organizations, government agencies, private companies and individuals.

How did this work zone safety awareness campaign get started? In 1997, a group of Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) staff members, located in southwestern Virginia, wanted to dedicate a week to raise awareness about work zone safety among all district employees before construction projects picked up during the warmer months. Following the successful promotion of this first event, VDOT brought the idea of raising awareness to other DOTs, and in 1999 the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) began its statewide public awareness campaign, “Slow for the Cone Zone.”However, it was 1998 when VDOT first presented the idea to create a national campaign to ATSSA officials.

In December of 1999, ATSSA approached the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to launch the first official NWZAW. They developed an agreement between the organizations, that outlined goals for NWZAW efforts:

Initiate efforts to raise awareness of the need for more caution when driving through work zones to decrease fatalities and injuries;Establish and promote a uniform set of safety tips;The value of training and importance of best practices in regard to work zone safety would be promoted among individuals in the private sector, industry, and roadway workers;Reach out to both roadway workers and contractors to communicate possible effects of motorists’ behavior in response to traffic delays, and advise on what steps might possibly be taken to lessen negative behavior; andOutreach efforts would be made to work with entities involved with work zone safety and to form partnerships.

The first official NWZAW kickoff event was held in 2000 in Springfield, Va. The site where the kickoff event is held now alternates each year from being hosted in the Washington, D.C., area to different locations across the U.S. State transportation departments can submit applications to host the event on those alternate years.