According to the Washington Post, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said this week that all of state’s engineering plans for highway construction projects are now all available for free online. As of July 1, contractors interested in bidding on a project can access the construction plans as soon as the state advertises them.
It’s a savings of anywhere from $15 all the way up to $175 that contractors were paying the Maryland Department of Transportation for printed copies. And pretty much all of the $40,000 in revenue the department earned from the plans went to pay for the cost of printing.
“By eliminating this bothersome fee and allowing contractors to download engineering plans from their computers instead of driving to Baltimore, we are helping businesses save time and energy,” Hogan said.
Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association president James Russ said the plan would save contractors money from more than just the cost of the plans—the builders are relieved of the time it took to physically pick up a copy of the plans.
Russ said the new plan was also timely as the governor recently announced the state would spend $2 billion on roads and bridges.
