Officials with the Maryland Department of Transportation invited officials from the state’s eight non-metropolitan areas to comment on the Department’s consultative process.
MDOT officials said the move was part of ensuring that all local officials and the public have a voice in the state’s transportation planning. The department’s Draft 2026 Consultative Process outlines how local officials in non-metropolitan areas can influence the development of the Maryland Transportation Plan and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The department will directly distribute the draft process to county and municipal officials, department leaders said.
The department said it is seeking input from not just local elected officials, but also from citizens, businesses, government agencies and community leaders in Allegany, Caroline, Dorchester, Garrett, Kent, Somerset, Talbot and Worcester counties. The counties were identified as ones that are not a voting member on a federal Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The Department is seeking input from local elected officials, citizens, businesses, government agencies and community leaders in those counties. The state solicits feedback from non-metropolitan areas once every five years on the effectiveness of the consultation process on transportation projects.
Input on the draft consultative process can be made by email to MDOTRegionalPlanning@mdot.maryland.gov, or by sending a letter to: Non-Metropolitan Comments – Office of Planning, Programming and Project Delivery, Maryland Department of Transportation, 7201 Corporate Center Drive, Hanover, Maryland 21076.
The comment period will close Aug. 25, 2026.