The Big Jump

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The Big Jump was initiated by community partners in order to create safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle connections between and within Reservoir Hill and Remington, two historic neighborhoods separated geographically by I-83, and which each have significant amenities such as parks, trails, employment opportunities, and local businesses. The merits of creating these connections won the project a Big Jump grant from the nonprofit People for Bikes, which provided technical resources to the project team. The Baltimore City Department of Transportation completed the design and construction portions of the project.

The primary facility that the project created was a temporary “pop up” mixed-use trail along Druid Park Lake Drive proceeding west from Madison Street, across the 28th Street Bridge, and along 28th Street to Atkinson Street. Water-filled or concrete traffic channelization barriers were installed to separate this trail from traffic. A bike lane delineated by flex posts was implemented to run on Sisson Street from 28th Street to Wyman Park Drive; this created a buffer between the sidewalk and motor vehicles and also included intersection improvements at 29th and Sisson to ease crossings for people walking and biking. This installation also successfully reconnected a larger version of the recreational trail loop in Druid Hill Park that remains closed due to construction on the park's reservoir, which has been underway since 2017.

BCDOT held community meetings for the Big Jump project the week of April 23, 2018. Construction of the pop-up trail and bike lane took place in late May 2018.

In 2020, BCDOT released a study that showed the impacts of The Big Jump on mobility on Druid Park Lake Drive. Highlights included:

  • 🚗Delay of 36 seconds at worst for motor vehicles

  • 🚗No impact on parallel routes for motor vehicles

  • 💥Fewer crashes

  • 🛴10-15x usage vs parallel routes for scooters

  • 👍87% of survey respondents wanted the Big Jump to be permanent.

  • 👍 Toole Design, the firm that led the study, recommended improvements to the Big Jump and making it permanent.

Since installation in June of 2018, BCDOT has intermittently undertaken cleanings of the Big Jump. A more formalized cleaning and maintenance process is in the planning stages as of summer 2023. The Big Jump remains installed in its Quick-Build format indefinitely until a more permanent solution is implemented. Funds were allocated in 2022 in Baltimore City's Capital Improvement Program (FY 2024-29) for more permanent design materials, including concrete barriers. The upgrade of the barriers for the Big Jump Shared Use Path and resurfacing of Druid Park Lake Drive is dependent on the construction schedule of the park reservoir.


The below information is from the pilot project evaluation report prepared by Toole Design for BCDOT, which was published in December 2020.


The Big Jump was initiated by community partners in order to create safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle connections between and within Reservoir Hill and Remington, two historic neighborhoods separated geographically by I-83, and which each have significant amenities such as parks, trails, employment opportunities, and local businesses. The merits of creating these connections won the project a Big Jump grant from the nonprofit People for Bikes, which provided technical resources to the project team. The Baltimore City Department of Transportation completed the design and construction portions of the project.

The primary facility that the project created was a temporary “pop up” mixed-use trail along Druid Park Lake Drive proceeding west from Madison Street, across the 28th Street Bridge, and along 28th Street to Atkinson Street. Water-filled or concrete traffic channelization barriers were installed to separate this trail from traffic. A bike lane delineated by flex posts was implemented to run on Sisson Street from 28th Street to Wyman Park Drive; this created a buffer between the sidewalk and motor vehicles and also included intersection improvements at 29th and Sisson to ease crossings for people walking and biking. This installation also successfully reconnected a larger version of the recreational trail loop in Druid Hill Park that remains closed due to construction on the park's reservoir, which has been underway since 2017.

BCDOT held community meetings for the Big Jump project the week of April 23, 2018. Construction of the pop-up trail and bike lane took place in late May 2018.

In 2020, BCDOT released a study that showed the impacts of The Big Jump on mobility on Druid Park Lake Drive. Highlights included:

  • 🚗Delay of 36 seconds at worst for motor vehicles

  • 🚗No impact on parallel routes for motor vehicles

  • 💥Fewer crashes

  • 🛴10-15x usage vs parallel routes for scooters

  • 👍87% of survey respondents wanted the Big Jump to be permanent.

  • 👍 Toole Design, the firm that led the study, recommended improvements to the Big Jump and making it permanent.

Since installation in June of 2018, BCDOT has intermittently undertaken cleanings of the Big Jump. A more formalized cleaning and maintenance process is in the planning stages as of summer 2023. The Big Jump remains installed in its Quick-Build format indefinitely until a more permanent solution is implemented. Funds were allocated in 2022 in Baltimore City's Capital Improvement Program (FY 2024-29) for more permanent design materials, including concrete barriers. The upgrade of the barriers for the Big Jump Shared Use Path and resurfacing of Druid Park Lake Drive is dependent on the construction schedule of the park reservoir.


The below information is from the pilot project evaluation report prepared by Toole Design for BCDOT, which was published in December 2020.


Page published: 08 Sep 2023, 09:35 AM