Governor Larry Hogan Announces Elimination of Fees for Highway Construction Plans

Delivering on Promise to Make Maryland Government Business-Friendly and Efficient

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) has eliminated fees for state highway construction engineering plans and is providing contractors access to the free files on e-Maryland Marketplace – once again delivering on his pledge to make Maryland government business-friendly and efficient. Beginning July 1, 2015, SHA is providing contractors with free electronic plans online with project advertisements, which saves contractors time and money by eliminating trips to SHA’s Baltimore office to purchase and pick up paper copies of the plans.

“For too long, Maryland’s anti-business attitude made doing business with the state costly and cumbersome,” said Governor Hogan. “By eliminating this bothersome fee and allowing contractors to download engineering plans from their computers instead of driving to Baltimore, we are helping businesses save time and money.”

SHA previously printed the engineering plans and sold copies to potential bidders. Prices for engineering plans ranged between $15 and $175, allowing the agency to recoup printing costs. The new electronic PDF files posted on e-Maryland Marketplace allow contractors to review the plans as soon as the projects are advertised and to share the files with potential subcontractors and disadvantaged business enterprise partners for consideration in forming a team to bid. The e-plans improve efficiency for hundreds of businesses, increase competitiveness for the overall industry, and eliminate tens of thousands of pounds of paper usage.

“Streamlining the advertising process couldn’t be timelier with the governor’s new funding plan that infuses money into transportation projects across the state,” said Jim Russ, president of the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association. “Time spent driving can now be productive, so e-plans save time, gas, and money.”