Former Baltimore delegate will take over as leader of Maryland Transit Administration

One day after Holly Arnold announced she was stepping down from leading the Maryland Transit Administration, the governor’s office announced Wednesday her replacement will be former Del. Tony Bridges.

Bridges, who served as a Democratic delegate representing Baltimore City between 2019 and 2023, will take over Sept. 1 as administrator of the MTA, the agency that manages the state’s MARC trains, light rail, subway and bus systems.

Bridges left the legislature in May 2023 after Gov. Wes Moore (D) appointed him as assistant secretary for equity and engagement at the state Department of Transportation. Moore tapped Bridges in September to serve as a deputy legislative officer to lead the development, coordination and advancement of the administration’s economic development agenda.

Bridges worked in various positions in the department before being elected, serving as a senior adviser in the Maryland Department of Transportation from 2013-2014, and as chief of staff at the MTA in 2014-2015.

“Tony Bridges brings a rare combination of hands-on transit experience, legislative insight, and an unwavering commitment to Maryland,” Moore said in a statement Wednesday. “He understands that transit is the ultimate connector to opportunity, and I am confident that under his leadership, the Maryland Transit Administration will build a safer, more reliable, and more equitable transportation network for our entire state.”

During his time in the General Assembly, Bridges served on the Appropriations Committee and the state’s Legislative Transit Caucus. He sponsored several pieces of legislation to advocate for better transit in the Baltimore region that included establishing a transit and governance funding commission.

Bridges takes over an agency that is struggling to finish the Purple Line light-rail project connecting Prince George’s and Montgomery counties after years of delays and cost overruns, and break ground on the long-delayed Red Line light-rail through Baltimore. That project was spiked in 2015 by Gov. Larry Hogan, who called it a boondoggle, only to be revived by Moore in 2023. Moore said at the time that Red Line construction could begin in 2026 or 2027, but the project is still in the study phase.

“I’ve always been a dedicated advocate for public transit and the Maryland Transit Administration, and leading the agency now allows me to put the very policies I’ve championed alongside this administration into practice,” Bridges said in a statement.

“I am eager to continue the work and advance Gov. Moore’s transit agenda of providing safe, efficient, and reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service,” Bridges said.

Arnold was named administrator in 2021 by Hogan, and kept on two years later when Moore took office. Arnold said Tuesday that she would stay until Sept. 1, but was looking forward to spending more time with her family.

Arnold attended an event last week to tout a transit-oriented development project at the MARC station at Bowie State University. The project, which will take several years to build out, is slated to include more than 400 housing units, retail and commercial businesses, office space and creation of pedestrian and bicycle access between the station and the campus.