OAN Staff Gabriella Sable
3:06 PM – Friday, December 12, 2025
The Trump Administration is stepping in to ease crippling traffic congestion between Maryland and Washington, D.C., one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the country. In 2025, Washington, D.C. was ranked number one in the nation for the worst traffic, with gridlock stretching more than six hours a day on average and choking commutes for hundreds of thousands of workers.
To tackle the problem head-on, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is scheduled to meet with Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D-Md.) to address growing concerns over the state’s handling of several major infrastructure projects, including the reconstruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024 after being struck by a cargo vessel.
“The Trump Administration is committed to improving Americans’ quality of life and ushering in a new Golden Age of Transportation,” Secretary Duffy said in a statement,,
The statement went further, emphasizing that holding leaders accountable at every level of government is essential to ensuring taxpayer dollars are used effectively, efficiently, and in ways that deliver real, measurable results for the public.
The Federal Highway Administration is also seeking public input on ways to accelerate the reconstruction of the American Legion Memorial Bridge, a project officials say is critical to easing the region’s worsening traffic.
In its Request for Information (RFI), the FHWA warned that severe, persistent congestion on the bridge is disrupting daily life for commuters and imposing costly delays on commercial traffic, slowing the movement of goods across the entire corridor.
“As a nationally significant connector, the severe congestion on the Bridge and its approaches affects the normal everyday life of the traveling public and imposes additional costs and delays to the flow of commerce,” the request said.
“For local commuters, it is a daily struggle to traverse the American Legion Memorial Bridge,” continued the statement. “And requires the need to build in additional time for commutes, face the uncertainty of unanticipated delays, and navigate various safety challenges.”
The RFI continued saying that the congestion not only affects commuters but also Federal and military personnel, diplomatic and international drivers and tourists.
Truck drivers also struggle with the congestion, which often causes delays in transit of freight and puts costly burdens on companies and puts unnecessary wear and tear on equipment.
“On the freight side, both short-haul and long-haul freight operations are impeded by congestion leading to costly delays in meeting delivery schedules, unnecessary wear on both drivers and equipment, and again, safety challenges associated with competing traffic,” the statement explains.
FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster says Governor Moore’s delays are stalling urgently needed improvements on one of the region’s most vital transportation corridors.
“Governor Moore’s lack of action on the American Legion Bridge corridor is holding back progress on one of the nation’s most critical transportation routes,” McMaster said. “That’s why the Trump Administration is seeking public input to restart the multi-state plan to relieve congestion in this heavily traveled corridor on both the Virginia and Maryland sides.”
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