After a crash in March at a work zone on the Baltimore Beltway killed six workers, a list of recommendations for making those sites safer has been released. The recommendations come from a work group that was assembled in the days following the incident.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal crash along Interstate 695 on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, near Woodlawn, Md. Multiple people were killed when a passenger vehicle pulled into a work zone along the Baltimore beltway and struck construction workers there, Maryland State Police said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)(AP/Julio Cortez)
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal crash along Interstate 695 on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, near Woodlawn, Md. Multiple people were killed when a passenger vehicle pulled into a work zone along the Baltimore beltway and struck construction workers there, Maryland State Police said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)(AP/Julio Cortez)
After a crash in March at a work zone on the Baltimore Beltway killed six workers, a list of recommendations for making those sites safer has been released. The recommendations come from a work group that was assembled in the days following the incident.
“For the people who work at these sites, it’s not a matter of if they will see a crash on their job site, it’s a matter of when,” said Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, creator of the Work Zone Safety Work Group.
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Miller said the group has studied two things — driver behavior and how work zones are operated.
When it comes to behavior, Miller said the group believes more enforcement will help discourage unsafe driving near work sites.
“Recommendations include, but are not limited to, modifying an outdated statute requiring all speed cameras to be manned by an operator, installing a greater number of automated speed cameras at roadway construction sites, [and] increasing the citation amount for speeding near a construction site,” Miller said.
Miller also said more needs to be done in regards to modern technology to not only better set up work zones, but also make workers more visible.
“Our roadway construction workers build and maintain the vital infrastructure that all of us depend on every single day, and they deserve to come home to their loved ones at the end of every day,” Miller said.
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The work group also said motorists need to do their part.
“If you’re speeding, you choose to drive even though you’re impaired or you failed to buckle your seat belt — those are deliberate actions that each driver takes. We owe it to the victims and their families. That’s why to us they’re crashes and not accidents,” said Christine Nizer, administrator for the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration.
On the education front, recommendations include updating driver’s education curriculum to make it clear to “rookie drivers” why it is important to drive safely in or near a work zone.
She also said the use of Driver Alert System technology, which monitors a driver’s attention to the road, and comes equipped already in some cars, is also being looked at.
Howard Bostic knows the dangers well. He was outside of his truck when his vehicle was hit by a van going seventy miles per hour as he responded to an overturned vehicle as a first responder for the MDOT Coordinated Highways Action Response Team.
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“We had van parts come over top of my vehicle, it was hit so hard, and it [the vehicle] moved at least 10 feet from its original position,” Bostic said.
No one was hurt in the crash.
“The crash was scary, and my life flashed before my eyes,” Bostic said.
Teri Soos, deputy administrator for operations at the Maryland State Highway Administration, said recommendations for work zones also include better separating workers from high-speed traffic and, in some cases, detouring high speed traffic around crews.
The state will move toward doing more highway work during daylight hours.
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“This may cause some delays, but a few extra minutes is a small price to pay to make sure workers get home in one piece each day,” Soos said.
In addition to releasing recommendations, the state is also asking for the public to take part in a survey on their driving habits. The survey also requests feedback on some of the work group’s recommendations.
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The Michigan State Spartans under head coach Jonathan Smith are 2-0 thanks to a road win against a tough Maryland team, 27-24.
Resilience might be the word to describe this squad so far. The Spartans made some big blunders against the Terrapins and still found a way to battle back. The gritty performance might have been enough to get the Spartans into a bowl game.
Here are three takeaways from the Spartans’ win.
Aidan Chiles: Very Young, Very Talented
Chiles looked vastly improved from the home opener against Florida Atlantic. Again, he looked like an 18-year-old quarterback.
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Chiles got not just his first passing touchdown as a Spartan, but three passing touchdowns to go with 24 of 39 passing and 363 yards. He also had three interceptions, which very nearly cost the Spartans the game.
Chiles has about as strong an arm as any quarterback to wear the green and white in recent memory. He is dangerous when he is on the move.
Perhaps a critique is that he should try to make more plays with his legs, he has seemed cautious to these first two games. The first pass rusher to get to Chiles likely won’t bring him down — Chiles has a great feel for the pocket and he is quite slippery.
Chiles overcame some poor mistakes and throwing mechanics (his feet tend to get wide and it factors into his overthrows) to lead the Spartans in the most critical of situations against a sturdy Maryland defense.
Huge game for Chiles, who showed why the hype was so promising.
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Can the Spartans Stay Healthy on Defense?
Already, this Spartans squad is beaten up. Dillon Tatum, a key defensive back, lost for the season. Wide receiver Alante Brown, whose injury allowed for Nick Marsh to announce himself to the world, lost for the foreseeable future. Kristian Phillips at guard was huge.
During the Maryland game, several Spartans were beat up. Few even had to go into the tent on the sideline. It will be crucial for the Spartans to remain healthy, especially on defense. Most especially in the defensive backfield.
The Spartans are very confident in their young defensive backs — Justin Denson Jr., Andrew Brinson IV, and Jaylen Thompson can all be very good players, but they need more time to develop.
If more Spartans fall to injury, the defensive backfield could get very young.
Nick Marsh is the Real Deal
Marsh was the recruiting gem of 2024, the best player in a class with plenty of good talent. A highly-rated four-star, Marsh was the No. 107-ranked player in the class by 247Sports. Marsh, of course, stood out in fall camp like the high-profile recruit he was.
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6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Marsh already had a man’s body. At just 18 years old.
“Possesses the size, athleticism, and multi-sport profile that projects very well in the long term,” 247Sports’ Gabe Brooks wrote. “Traitsy mismatch wideout with high-major impact potential and the ceiling to develop into an NFL Draft candidate.”
With the loss of Brown, Marsh was asked to step up. Step up he did — eight receptions for 194 receiving yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins might have his next in the line of Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman.
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The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration will provide an additional $23.1 million in federal aid to the agency’s national Home Visiting Program in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
More money is on the way for a home-visiting health care program designed to provide better care for pregnant women, new parents and infants.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced an additional $23.1 million in federal aid to the agency’s national Home Visiting Program in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
The extra money is the first time in a decade that the program has received an increase in federal funds, HRSA administrator Carol Johnson said.
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“What those resources mean is that we’re able to support nurses, social workers and trained home visitors, and help with those early days of being a new parent,” Johnson said. “All of this has been shown to really make a difference in kids’ outcomes. Kids are so much stronger because they get these kinds of supports.”
Johnson said the program’s success hinges on convenient health visits in a comfortable at-home setting.
“When you’re a new parent, if you have to take off from work and take a few buses to get to an appointment, you’re probably not going to do it,” she said. “But if that person comes to your house and they’re full of resources and knowledge, it’s going to make a huge difference to you.”
Rockville, Maryland-based HRSA spearheads the national program, teaming up with local health organizations to target and reach parents.
Home health care workers can provide breastfeeding support, safe sleep tips and developmental screening for babies. They can even help parents find key services like affordable child care or job and educational opportunities.
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“It’s changed my life,” past program participant Fatima Ray said.
Ray said she was introduced to the program in 2015 when she needed help with her infant daughter. She and her husband were first-time parents and stumbled through the first few months with a newborn.
“It felt good, like I had someone on my team,” Ray said. “Those questions you forget to ask the doctor sometimes, she would answer them.”
The experience impressed Ray so much that she became a home health visitor. She is the maternal health coordinator at Primo Center, a homeless shelter for families in Chicago.
“The same care that was given to me, I just want to pass it on,” Ray told WTOP. “I know how much it made a difference in my life. Home visiting matters.”
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President Joseph Biden signed bipartisan legislation in 2022 that doubles funding for the program over five years. The move was part of a campaign promise to lower risks linked to pregnancy and improve maternal health, especially among women in rural, tribal and low-income communities.
The national home visiting program will receive $440 million Maryland’s local programs will get $10 million of those funds. Virginia is slated to receive $11 million and D.C.’s home visiting programs will see a $2.5 million increase.
“This will push home visiting forward a lot more,” Ray said. “It’s just going to help tremendously.”
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Michigan State won a big time road game over Maryland, improving their record to 2-0, and giving head coach Jonathan Smith his first Big Ten conference victory as the head man of the Spartans.
A big part of that win was the connection between Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh, and more specifically their 77-yard touchdown connection tying the game 24-24 late in the fourth quarter.
Chiles and Marsh spoke to the media after the team’s win, which you can watch via Spartan Mag on YouTube:
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