7/25/2019 SHA Letter Re Storm

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January 21, 2016

Mr. Gregory C. Johnson707 North Calvert Street

Baltimore, MD 21202

Dear Mr. Johnson:

As you are aware, last night there was an approximately one inch snowfall that causedhavoc on the evening commute and contributed to numerous accidents. Many of us were stuck

in traffic jams for hours and a major contributing factor appears to be the State Highway

Administrations (SHAs) failure to pretreat the roads. At least a few local jurisdictions claimto have pre-treated their non-state roads, making it all the more apparent that SHA could have

and should havebeen prepared. We owe our shared constituents an apology for the incredible

inconvenience and risk to their safety.

But more than an apology, I would like to be able to provide an explanation. Why were

the roads not pre-treated? What are the standards for pre-treating roads? Who makes thedecision? When is the situation assessed so the decision can be made? I recognize that a

confluence of factors may have affected SHAs ability to pre-treat in this situation: (1) SHA is

busy preparing for a major snow event starting tomorrow; (2) Weather reports were uncertain;and (3) The weather came at the worst possible time for the evening commute. Still, I think our

shared constituents are owed an explanation.

Given the forthcoming storm, I do not want or expect a reply until after the upcoming

event has passed. After that, I would be happy to meet with you or a member of your team to

discuss the appropriate procedures or receive an answer in writing.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Marc Korman