Delegation members announce grants for Baltimore
A new Charm City Circulator route to Fort McHenry and a road project intended to reconnect West Baltimore communities divided by the "Highway to Nowhere" will receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, four members of the Maryland congressional delegation announced.
U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikuslki and Benjamin L. Cadin, along with U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings and John Sarbanes said the grants will provide $1.6 million for the new Circulator route and $1.7 million for the reconfiguration of the Fulton Avenue bridge in the part of the U.S. 40 corridor known as the Highway to Nowhere.
The Circulator grant is expected to help the city get its free "Star Spangled" route in operation in time for the bicentennial observance of the War of 1812. The new route is expected to run from the Inner Harbor to the fort along Fort Avenue on a year-round basis. The grant will be used over three years and will cover 65 percent of the route's cost.
The West Baltimore project will reconfigure the five-lane Fulton bridge to integrate it with a pedestrian-bicycle network and to add landscaping and storm water management improvements. According to the delegation members, the project had been launched but was put on hold when funds ran short.
Comments
The circulator might have a tough time on Fort Ave. for the next 10 months considering the bridge to Locust Point is being replaced and is closed until June 2012.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 16, 2011 11:05 AM
And the other 35% of the costs will be picked up by people that commute to the city through increased monthly parking costs.
The circulator is only around to make some guy rich. Show me one place where someone can commute into the city then ride the circulator to work. It's a load of crap. In little to no time at all the MTA will have to raise rates due to decreased fair collections.
Is this really an ENTITLEMENT program that we need to have in this city? Why can't we do something more productive with those funds!
This bus is just as much of a joke as the new 511 system the state installed. "Here is a phone number for you to call to find out traffic, BUT we just passed a law that says you can't call while driving so if you are stuck on the freeway and want to find out why we'll give you a ticket".
The rich just keep finding ways to make money off of us.
Posted by: Phillip | August 16, 2011 11:16 AM
Phillip,
A large percentage of folks who live within a mile or two of downtown DRIVE to work downtown. I have no problem taxing these folks who are causing traffic for no good reason in order to fund a few heavily utilized bus lines for the greater good.
If you live out of town, and work downtown, you benefit from the city without paying your fair share into the city coffers. This is one way to recoup that.
Posted by: Jed | August 16, 2011 1:05 PM
u mad bro?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 16, 2011 3:22 PM