STATE AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

Theodore E. Mathison, Administrator
Nicholas J. Schaus, Deputy Administrator

P.O. Box 8766
BWI Airport, MD 21240 859-7100

Martin State Airport
P.O. Box 1
701 Wilson Point Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21220 682-8800

The State Aviation Administration originated in
1929 when the State Aviation Commission was
established (Chapter 318, Acts of 1929). The Ad-
ministration replaced the Commission and became
a unit of the Department ofTransportation in 1970
(Chapter 526, Acts of 1970). The Administration
develops and operates airports. It also fosters and
regulates aeronautical activity within the State.

By Chapter 180, Acts of 1972, the operation of
Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Air-
port, the State's major air carrier facility, was as-
signed to the State Aviation Administration. The
Act authorized the State to purchase Balti-
more/Washington International Airport from Bal-
timore City. The same Act abolished the Friendship
International Airport Authority, originally created
in 1970 (Chapter 529, Acts of 1970). Friendship
Airport was renamed BWI in 1973.

The Administration also supervises the opera-
tion of the Martin State Airport in Baltimore
County

The Administration inspects and licenses com-
mercial airports, air schools, and air school instruc-
tors for safe operation. It fosters safety in aviation
through educational seminars for pilots and me-
chanics, and through its publications: the newslet-
ter, Flight Plan, and a combined Maryland airports
directory and aeronautical chart.

The Administration provides technical and fi-
nancial assistance to airport sponsors and owners in
the preparation of master plans and in improve-
ments to facilities. Standardized runway markings
are applied and maintained at airports throughout
the State. A Maryland Aviation System Plan has
been prepared in cooperation with the Planning
and Development staff in the Secretary's Office and
other State and local agencies (Code Transporta-
tion Article, secs. 5-101 through 5-1105).

The Administration functions through four Of-
fices: Business Administration; Marketing and De-
velopment; Planning and Engineering; and Airport
Operations.

The Administrator is appointed by the Secretary
of Transportation with the Governor's approval.

Department of Transportation/403

MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY

Chairperson:
Richard H. Trainor, Secretary ofTransportation

Appointed by Governor with Senate advice &
consent: Arthur M. Gompf, 1989; Louise P.
Hoblitzell, 1989; J. Owen Cole, 1990; Daniel F.
McMullen III, 1990; Ronald L. Freeland, 1991;
Robert R. Neall, 1991.

Anthony P. Frate, Executive Secretary
Wayne A. McDaniel, Operations Director

PO. Box 9088
Dundalk, MD 21222 563-7100
TTY for Deaf: 355-7024
traffic & road condition reports: 355-2080/1
Public Affairs Office: 563-7104, ext. 204

The Maryland Transportation Authority gov-
erns and sets policy for the State's toll projects. The
Authority was created in 1970 (Chapter 526, Acts
of 1970). It consists of the Secretary of Transporta-
tion as chairperson and six public members ap-
pointed for three-year terms by the Governor with
Senate advice and consent (Code Transportation
Article, secs. 4-201 through 4-404).

The Transportation Authority operates and
maintains four toll bridges, the Baltimore Harbor
Tunnel, the Fort McHenry Tunnel, and the John F.
Kennedy Memorial Highway. These facilities were
constructed with proceeds from the sale of revenue
bonds authorized under the Revenue Bond Act of
1937 and by Chapter 1, Acts of the Special Session
of 1956.

Administrative, supply, and maintenance activi-
ties of the Authority are centralized at the Francis
Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore's outer harbor.

Francis Scott Key Bridge connects Sollers Point
in Baltimore County with Hawkins Point in Balti-
more City Opened to traffic in March 1977, the
Bridge forms the final link in the 52-mile Baltimore
Beltway (Interstate 695).

William Preston Lane, Jr., Memorial Bridge , also
known as Chesapeake Bay Bridge, is one of the long-
est over-water steel structures in the world. It spans
4.35 miles of the Chesapeake Bay between Sandy
Point on the Western Shore to a point near Stevens-
ville on the Eastern Shore. Traffic lanes between the
suspension towers are 2,922-1/2 feet in length and
198-1/2 feet above the Bay. The Bridge rises to a
total height of 354 feet. This span was opened to
traffic on July 30, 1952. At the request of the
General Assembly, the State Roads Commission in
1967 renamed the Chesapeake Bay Toll Bridge as
the William Preston Lane, Jr., Memorial Bridge
(Joint Resolution no. 21, Acts of 1967).