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After Two Deadly Work Zone Crashes, Maryland Officials Press for Change
By SAPNA BANSIL
Capital News Service
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (April 17, 2024)—After a pair of deadly work zone incidents cast attention on the dangers of road work, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore enacted a set of protections for workers and their families that his administration describes as “a moral imperative.”
Hours after the state’s legislature adjourned, a bill increasing fines for work zone speed violations and another covering educational costs for families of fallen workers were among the first measures from the 2024 session that Moore signed into law.
At a bill signing ceremony, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, a former transportation engineer, invoked two fatal crashes that inspired the new legislation. In March 2023, six highway workers died when a car careened into a work zone on Interstate 695. Nearly a year later, six construction workers repairing potholes atop the Francis Scott Key Bridge were killed when a container ship struck the bridge, causing it to collapse.
“The men and women in the construction industry place themselves in harm’s way every day on the frontline of service,” Miller said. “We saw it happen on March 22, 2023. And we saw it happen again on March 26, 2024. It’s a moral imperative that we protect workers who provide critical service, public service for all of us.”
Among the measures to receive Moore’s signature was the Maryland Road Worker Protection Act, which Miller championed throughout the legislative session and touted Tuesday, during an event overlooking the site of the I-695 crash to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week.
Effective June 1, the new law permits the installation of multiple speed cameras within a single work zone and raises the fine for speed camera violations to $80. The current penalty in Maryland is $40, among the lowest such fines in the country.
Beginning January 2025, fines shift to a tiered system ranging from $60 to $500 depending on the driver’s speed. Fines will double if workers are present at the time of the violation.
While the law is viewed as a direct response to the I-695 crash, officials said it also acknowledges the dangers that road workers experience every day. In 2023, there were 1,287 work zone crashes across Maryland, an average of 3.5 per day.
Steven Cook, a field maintenance technician with the Maryland Department of Transportation who attended Tuesday’s event, said highway work requires constant vigilance. He has witnessed drivers who ignore signs, take out traffic cones and slip into work zones. “It happens more often than what people really think about and notice,” Cook told Capital News Service.
“You always got to have your head on a swivel with being out here on the highway … We’re sitting ducks when we’re out here on the job,” Cook added.
The new law is part of a larger effort to change driver behavior in work zones by strengthening enforcement methods and increasing education. Distracted driving, aggressive driving and speeding are the leading causes of work zone crashes, according to the State Highway Administration.
“Most crashes are not accidents,” State Highway Administrator William Pines told Capital News Service. “In reality, they’re very preventable. The majority of crashes that occur happen because of behaviors with drivers. So if we want to stop the root cause of most crashes, we’ve got to deal with driver behavior.”
But the law offers no safety solutions for incidents like the collapse of the Key Bridge, which was unrelated to driver behavior. Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld told Capital News Service on Tuesday that officials may consider structural solutions to bolster bridge safety but are awaiting the results of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board before making any specific policy proposals.
Instead, lawmakers responded to the bridge collapse by recognizing the toll that work zone crashes leave on workers’ families.
In the final hours of the legislative session, the General Assembly passed the Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act, primarily aimed at providing emergency aid to workers and businesses affected by the closure of the Port of Baltimore. Moore’s administration offered a successful amendment to the bill creating the Fallen Transportation Workers Scholarship Program, providing tuition assistance for five years of full-time study or eight-years of part-time study to children and spouses of workers who have died on the job since 2022.
“What happened on the bridge is horrifically traumatic, and I think one of the things that we wanted to do is protect others who are in a similarly dangerous situation,” said Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, who co-sponsored the PORT Act.
“Certainly, we wish there were no one participating in that fund, but sadly, we know how dangerous this work is,” he continued.
The scholarship reflected efforts by the state’s Latino Caucus, which met with members of Moore’s administration in the days after the bridge collapse and sought financial support for families of the victims. The six men who died were all immigrant construction workers from Latin America. Three of the workers killed in the I-695 crash were also of Latino origin.
“When someone passes, particularly as the breadwinner or primary breadwinner of their family, it trickles down,” said Del. Ashanti Martinez, D-Prince George’s, chair of the Latino Caucus. “It’s not just about their immediate family, but those that they support in the community or back home.”
Del. Deni Taveras, D-Prince George’s, a member of the caucus’ executive board, said she was pleased to see the scholarship included in the PORT Act but expressed concern about how families would meet immediate needs for rent, food and clothing.
“Something is definitely better than nothing,” Taveras said. “I’m happy that they can have a secure future for themselves through access to college.”
Another executive board member, Del. Joe Vogel, D-Montgomery, said he hopes the state will continue to acknowledge the workers’ sacrifices and support their families’ needs over the long term.
“I want the families to feel like the lives lost were not in vain and that the state appreciates and recognizes the immense value of those six individuals,” Vogel said.
Beyond the legislative remedies, state officials have called the two work zone tragedies an opportunity for awareness. They’ve said the workers’ deaths, as well as countless other close calls that happen each day, are a reminder that road workers take on labor that is essential and difficult but also overlooked. And that many are sacrificing their lives to do so.
“Our work zones are filled with mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, close friends and your neighbors,” Pines said, standing atop an overpass for Tuesday’s National Work Zone Awareness Week event as cars and trucks zipped underneath. “They're building a better, safer, world-class highway system to provide access and opportunity to every single user. The highway is their office. Protecting them must be a priority for us.”
Angelique Gingras contributed reporting for this story.
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Ebenezer AME Church to Feature 2024 Youth Poet Laureate, Saniya Pearson, at Free 2024 National Poetry Month Celebration with Open Mic
Theme: “African Americans & The Art of Poetry”
Friday, April 26, 2024 from 6:30–8:30 p.m.
By J. JOY “SISTAH JOY” MATTHEWS ALFORD
Ebenezer AME Church Poetry Ministry
You are Invited!
Please SAVE THE DATE and join the Ebenezer Poetry Ministry at our 2024 National Poetry Month Celebration from 6:30–8:30 p.m., Friday, April 26 at Ebenezer AME Church, 7707 Allentown Road, Rms. 203 & 204, Fort Washington, Maryland 20744. This free in-person Poetry & Praise celebration, which includes an Open Mic, will feature Prince George’s County 2024 Youth Poet Laureate, Saniya Pearson; with presentations by Ebenezer Poetry Ministry member poets who are known as The Anointed P.E.N.S., and musical presentations by Djembe Drummer, Doc Powell, and Psalmists of Solomon Musical Director, Christine Jenkins. Light refreshments will be served and a free-will offering will be accepted. All ages are welcome.
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Photo courtesy Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
(From L to R)—PEO sorors support suicide prevention with Out of Darkness Walk.
Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Incorporated® Raises Nearly $15,000 while Advocating for Suicide Prevention
By DARLENE SPEARS-REED
Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Laurel, Md. (April 19, 2024)—The Psi Epsilon Omega (PEO) Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® raised nearly $15,000 in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)’s Out of the Darkness Walk. The Campus Walk was held at Bowie State University on April 18 and had 200 walkers and supporters in attendance.
Out of the Darkness Walks take place in cities nationwide and serve as an introduction to AFSP. Through the walks, those affected by suicide and those who support them raise awareness and much-needed funds while sending the message that suicide can be preventable and that no one is alone.
“The increasing number of suicides across the country is impacting our community at alarming rates,” said Karen S. Hicks, PEO President. “We are glad to have another opportunity to participate in this walk to support the mission of AFSP and help prevent suicide.”
In addition to supporting the walk with monetary donations, members of the chapter’s Community and Social Action (CASA) Committee shared information on House Resolution 7265, a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, aligned with the organization’s legislative policy initiative to address Black Youth Suicide.
If passed, the bill would make federal funds available to community programs that would allow health professional schools to integrate content about suicide prevention strategies and interventions into their curricula. Funds would also make secure gun storage or safety devices available to residences with an individual under the age of 26 who is at risk of suicide.
Donations collected will help bring AFSP one step closer to achieving its goal of reducing the suicide rate by 20% by the year 2025.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated®, Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter was chartered in 2007. Since its founding, the chapter has implemented its service programs in Laurel, Bowie, and Greenbelt, Maryland.
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Prince George’s County Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony for Eagle Harbor Stream Restoration and Community Resiliency Project
By PRESS OFFICER
Prince George’s County Department of the Environment
LARGO, Md. (April 23, 2024)—On Monday, April 22, in celebration of Earth Day, the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment (DoE) held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Eagle Harbor Stream Restoration and Community Resiliency Project on the construction site at 23600 Patuxent Blvd., in Eagle Harbor, MD.
The Eagle Harbor Stream Restoration and Community Resiliency Project will restore and stabilize 3,100 feet of Coleman Creek and two headwater tributaries, replacing existing undersized roadway culverts. The project addresses erosion and sedimentation that causes nuisance flooding and shoreline property damage. Construction is to be completed by the end of November 2024.
Upon successful project implementation, the stream restoration improvements will be reported with the Impervious Surface Restoration (ISR) goals under the Maryland Department of the Environment issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
“We are excited to bring the Eagle Harbor Stream Restoration and Community Resiliency Project to Eagle Harbor. The project is the culmination of strong partnerships between the Town of Eagle Harbor, Prince George’s County, DoE, the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and GreenVest-Petro Joint Venture, LLC,” said DoE Director Andrea Crooms. “And while it combines environmental stewardship, flood control, and drainage improvements to benefit Coleman Creek and the Patuxent River, this project will uplift the residents of Eagle Harbor for many years to come.”
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Government Infrastructure, Technology, and Environmental Services Floyd Holt extended greetings and an Earth Day proclamation on behalf of Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and noted how fitting it was to celebrate the project's groundbreaking today, on Earth Day.
In 2017, Eagle Harbor received its first stormwater grant of $100,000 to help address its erosion and flooding problems. With today's groundbreaking, it has grown to a $5.4 million restoration project.
Eagle Harbor is rich in history and remains a quaint riverfront town with fewer than 60 homes. It is also one of the oldest African American towns still in existence. Located on the banks of Coleman Creek, which flows into the Patuxent River, Eagle Harbor was designed and developed during segregation as a retreat for African Americans. It remains one of the last vestiges of a predominantly African American waterfront community.
“Eagle Harbor, Maryland, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, is a place for restoration, preservation, and relaxation,” said Mayor Noah Waters. “It was founded on the dreams of slave descendants but is now a treasure of Maryland heritage and American pride.” Mayor Waters thanked Eagle Harbor Sanitation Commissioner Linda Moore-Garoute for her steadfast advocacy and support in ensuring this project came to fruition. Visit https://townofeagleharborincmd.org/pgcmls.php.
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Council Member Edward Burroughs Announces Credit-Builder Program
By PRESS OFFICER
Prince George’s County Council Media
District 8 Council Member Edward Burroughs III has partnered with Prince George’s Community Federal Credit Union (PGCFCU) and the Financial Empowerment Center at PGCC to launch a program to help residents boost their credit scores and secure a healthier financial future.
This credit-builder loan program allows District 8 residents to make $44 monthly deposits for a year and receive a $500 match at the end of the year. Past participants in a similar program have seen, on average, a 20- to 67-point jump in their credit scores after making consistent payments.
“April is Financial Literacy Month, and it’s a fact that Black and Brown people generally have lower credit scores and less access to financial services,” said Council Member Burroughs. “This program aims to break the cycle by educating citizens about how improving their credit score can be life-changing, and, more importantly, allowing them to make that change.”
“We are honored to facilitate this unique opportunity for District 8 residents,” said PGCFCU President and CEO Diane Coleman Brown. “Good credit is vital to achieving financial success, and PGCFU has been committed to helping the community build the lives they desire for over 55 years. I look forward to supporting program participants as they take this next step toward financial freedom.”
The program is funded through the MGM Local Impact Grant Fund, a portion of gaming and tax revenue dedicated to the community around the casino.
“As the recipient of this MGM Local Impact Grant, the Financial Empowerment Center at Prince George’s Community College takes great pride in improving money management outcomes for county residents,” said Heath Carelock, the center's program director. The 100% match not only changes financial behavior but also offers participants confidence beyond the program timeline, whether with home-buying or pursuing new credit.”
Council Member Burroughs has long championed financial literacy and he helped create a Financial Literacy Pilot Program for PGCPS high school students as a school board member. Following the pilot, Financial Literacy became a graduation requirement this school year.
Burroughs and other program representatives are available for taped and live interviews about this initiative and the importance of establishing good credit.
For more information on signing up, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEX8PlDv6nfjI-VUHLevwCBMedvQ19lfF8ofyQNceZh2cnqQ/viewform?pli=1
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