FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge and Trail Will Provide a Critical, Safe Alternative for Accessing Patapsco Light Rail Stop
BALTIMORE, MD (April 9, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration has been awarded $5,000,000 in federal funding for the planning of the Patapsco Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge and trail to connect the Cherry Hill community to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop. With the support of U.S. Senators Benjamin Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, the project was included in the FY24 Omnibus Spending bill, which was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
“Building a new pedestrian bridge isn’t just about connecting two points,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld. “It’s about creating pathways to safer communities supporting the governor’s mission to connect and protect Maryland’s citizens.”
The bridge and trail have been designed to eliminate the need for residents of Cherry Hill to travel along unsafe pathways, including the Light Rail tracks, in order to access the Patapsco stop. The proposed project will increase access for Cherry Hill, Brooklyn and Lansdowne residents and provide safer, more convenient trips to employment, shopping, schools, and other services using transit. This grant is critical to advancing the project towards full funding, with an anticipated cost of more than $15 million.
“This project means easier and safer access to transit for the residents of Cherry Hill, a community that has historically been overlooked for infrastructure investments,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. “We’re grateful to our Federal delegation and their efforts to prioritize transit accessibility in the Baltimore region.”
The Patapsco Light Rail Station serves as a critical hub for regional transit service providing a connection to portions of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County as far south as Annapolis. Area residents using the Light Rail Station can access multiple bus routes including the CityLink Yellow and LocalLinks 29, 69, 70, 71, 73 and 75.
The agency is coordinating closely with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation’s complete streets plans for Patapsco Avenue and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council’s Patapsco Regional Greenway Phase Three segment, both of which would connect with the bridge.Similarly, the proposed project will connect existing and planned bicycling facilities to public transit, including to the Baybrook Connector on-street trail being developed just to the east of the project area by the Greater Baybrook Alliance.
The Maryland Transit Administration is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States, and operates Local Bus, Commuter Bus, Light Rail, Metro Subway, MARC Train Service and a comprehensive Mobility paratransit system. The goal of the Maryland Transit Administration is to provide safe, efficient, reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. To learn more, visit mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on X, formerly Twitter @mtamaryland.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Courtney Mims
Office: 410-767-8367
Cell: 667-392-0157
cmims@mdot.maryland.gov
Paul Shepard
Office: 410-767-3935
Cell: 443-622-4181
pshepard@mdot.maryland.gov
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