State wants input on I-68 through Cumberland at Oct. 27 open house
The State Highway Administration holds a drop-in open house Oct. 27 on its study of I-68 and the Cumberland viaduct.
The Maryland State Highway Administration is asking the public what should change on the stretch of Interstate 68 that runs through Cumberland, and it will take comments in person at an open house on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The drop-in session runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Allegany Museum, 3 Pershing St., in downtown Cumberland. There will be no formal presentation. Visitors can come any time during those two hours to look over maps and displays, talk with SHA staff and share their thoughts, the agency said.
The open house is part of SHA's I-68 Cumberland Viaduct study, which covers the National Freeway from U.S. 220 (McMullen Highway) to MD 639 (Willowbrook Road). That segment includes the elevated viaduct through the city. SHA says the study is looking for ways to make the corridor safer and easier to get to and through for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
It is set up as a Planning and Environmental Linkages study, an approach that weighs environmental, community and economic goals at the planning stage so they carry through to design and construction. SHA said the needs analysis started in the winter of 2025, and it expects to finish the study in the fall of 2027. The release does not describe specific options or a construction timeline.
I-68 is Garrett County's main link east to Cumberland, Frostburg and beyond. The open house gives residents who drive the viaduct for work, medical appointments or shopping a chance to weigh in early.
Materials from the open house will be posted on SHA's I-68 Cumberland Viaduct study portal afterward, according to the agency. People who need an interpreter or other help with language, hearing or speech should email shatitlevi@mdot.maryland.gov before the event and put the language needed in the subject line. Maryland Relay users can call 711.
Questions about the study can go to project manager Mulowa K. Kajoba at mkajoba@mdot.maryland.gov or community relations manager Holly Pearl at HPearl@mdot.maryland.gov.
