Travel By Road, Air Now Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS (WJZ) -- Traffic on Maryland roadways is exceeding pre-pandemic levels, according to Gov. Larry Hogan's office.

"Holiday travel during the Fourth of July Weekend exceeding 2019 levels is an important milestone signaling our state's strong recovery from the pandemic," said Hogan. "Traffic volumes are exceeding pre-pandemic levels across the state, including at the American Legion Bridge, making the need for our Traffic Relief Plan more urgent than ever"

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. travel fell by 50%. Figures of the MDOT State Highway Administration show a .4% increase in traffic levels on Maryland roads for the first week of July 2021 over the first week of July 2019.

Daily traffic averaged 138,460 the week leading up to the Fourth of July weekend on the Baltimore Beltway between I-895 and US 1. That's a 5% increase compared to the same week in 2019.

On the Capital Beltway at the American Legion Bridge, traffic volume averaged at 226,851 this year, which is a .26% increase over 2019.

And it's not just on the roads.

BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport reported its busiest day for departing passengers on Friday, July 2 when the Transportation Security Administration screened 28,655 departing passengers.

At the height of the pandemic, BWI travel fell by 90%, according to airport officials.

At the Port of Baltimore, cargo figures also surpassed pre-pandemic levels in May 2020, increasing by 2%.