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Maryland Manual 1994-1995 Department of Transportation /475
(Chapter 356, Acts of 1937). This led to the Susquehanna and Potomac River Bridges, the Baltimore
Harbor Tunnel, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Airports. Although possibly the first recorded manned flight occurred over Baltimore in a balloon in 1784,
Maryland did not pass its Uniform State Law for Aeronautics until 1927 (Chapter 637, Acts of 1927), followed
by the creation of the State Aviation Commission in 1929 (Chapter 318, Acts of 1929). The Commission licensed
aviators and airships, set air traffic rules, regulated the construction and operation of airfields, and otherwise
conformed to federal regulations. The Commission became an Administration in 1970 when the Department of
Transportation was formed and in 1972 took over operation of Friendship International Airport (now BWI)
after its purchase by the State. The Administration at that time went from three employees to over two hundred.
Port of Baltimore. As Baltimore grew into a city during the Revolutionary War, the Port of Baltimore
became a center for the trade with the West Indies that supported the war effort. Wardens of the Port were
authorized in 1783 to oversee construction of wharves, clear waterways, and collect duties from vessels
entering and clearing the port (Chapter 24, Acts of 1783). By the 1780s, Baltimore began to trade with
China and, during the nineteenth century, Baltimore clipper ships sped around the world and developed
a particularly lucrative trade with South America.
Although Baltimore was a port long before it was a city, the State delayed its role in port development
until 1827. Then the Governor began annually to appoint State wharfingers to take charge of State-owned
or leased docks, particularly those adjacent to the State Tobacco Warehouse. Yet, considerable time elapsed
before Maryland had a State agency to oversee port operations. The Maryland Port Authority assumed
that role in 1956 (Chapter 2, Acts of Special Session of 1956). The Authority's prime concern was to keep
the port competitive by improving and modernizing its facilities and by promoting it worldwide. The
Authority was replaced by the Maryland Port Administration in 1970.
Public Transportation. Another twentieth century concern was the development of public transporta-
tion, or mass transit. As metropolitan areas grew, private companies were not adequate to the task. The
Baltimore Metropolitan Area Mass Transit Legislative Commission studied the problem and recommended
creation of the Mass Transit Administration in 1969 (Chapter 766, Acts of 1961; Chapter 160,1969). In
1992, the Mass Transit Administration also assumed functions of the State Railroad Administration.
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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
O. James Lighthizer, Secretary of Transportation
P.O. Box 8755
BWI Airport, MD 21240 (410) 859-7600
Appointed by the Governor, the Secretary of
Transportation heads the Department. Reporting
directly to the Secretary are the Deputy Secretary
and the offices of Public Affairs; Management Serv-
ices and Audits; Finance; Systems Planning and
Evaluation; Minority Business Enterprise and
Equal Opportunity; and Administrative Services
(Code Transportation Article, sec. 2-102).
The Secretary chairs the Maryland Transportation
Authority; the Maryland Port Commission; the Task
Force on Chesapeake Bay Ferries; the Maryland
Greenways Commission; and the Governor's Motor
Carrier Task Force for Safety and Uniformity. The
Secretary also serves on the Governor's Executive
Council; the Governor's International Cabinet; the
Governor's Subcabinet for Energy Management; the
Transportation Professional Services Selection Board;
the Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for Mi-
nority Affairs; the Procurement Advisory Council; the
Maryland Advisory Council on Historic Preservation;
the Governor's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commis-
sion; the Governor's Commission on Growth in the
Chesapeake Region; the Interagency Committee on
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Aging Services; the Capital Debt Affordability
Committee; and the Maryland Economic Develop-
ment Corporation.
Under direction of the Secretary, the Department
of Transportation oversees the Maryland Transporta-
tion Authority and five administrations concerned
with State responsibilities for highways, ports, motor
vehicles, mass transit, and aviation. Providing the
Secretary with advice, guidance, and direction in a
variety of transportation matters are the Maryland
Transportation Commission, the Board of Review, the
Transportation Professional Services Selection Board,
the Board of Airport Zoning Appeals, and the State
Roads Commission (Code Transportation Article,
secs. 2-101 through 2-103).
MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION
COMMISSION
David L. Winstead, Chairperson, 1991
Julianne Stoll, Secretary
(410) 859-7260
Formed in 1970, the Maryland Transportation
Commission studies the entire State transportation
system (Chapter 526, Acts of 1970). It advises the
Secretary of Transportation and Department ad-
ministrators on policy and programs.
The Commission has seventeen members. Ten
are appointed for three-year terms by the Governor
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