Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets

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About

The Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Project will restore connections to Druid Hill Park and the surrounding neighborhoods by creating a safer, multi-modal corridor that is safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. The Project builds from a Complete Streets Feasibility study completed in 2022, which developed concept-level designs. In March of 2024, BCDOT received $6 million in Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to complete preliminary engineering, environmental documentation, and public outreach to select a locally preferred alternative (LPA) and reach 30% design.

Project Location Map

Background

Druid Park Lake Drive is a 2.3-mile corridor in West Baltimore that runs along the perimeter of Druid Hill Park from I-83 to Greenspring Ave. Originally a two-lane residential street, the current alignment of Druid Park Lake Drive is now a 4-to-9-lane arterial road that carries high-speed vehicle traffic, lacks safe pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure, and effectively creates a barrier between neighboring communities and Druid Hill Park.

Existing conditions on the corridor include up to nine travel lanes, complex intersections, and a lack of safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.In 2022, BCDOT initiated a Complete Streets Feasibility study for Druid Park Lake Drive in response to grassroots advocacy calling for safer conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users on the corridor. Through this study, the City conducted analyses of the corridor, coordinated with internal and external stakeholders, and used Complete Streets and NACTO design guidance to develop three end-to-end concepts for Druid Park Lake Drive that improve the safety, accessibility, multi-modal infrastructure, and overall aesthetics of the corridor. The result is three concept designs that provide safe and accessible connections for people traveling on foot, wheelchair, bicycle, transit, e-scooters, and cars.

Addressing Equity

The Corridor is a 2.3-mile principal arterial roadway in Baltimore City with up to nine travel lanes that divides several high-poverty, majority Black communities from Druid Hill Park, one of Baltimore’s largest and most visited parks. The Project is located fully within underserved and disadvantaged communities in Baltimore and will generate significant benefits for residents who have historically been harmed by discriminatory transportation and housing policies, advancing the City’s goals for racial equity.

Long-Term Vision

In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded BCDOT $6 million in Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant funding to advance engineering for the Druid Park Lake Drive Corridor from concept design to 30% design. The project will also focus on conducting public outreach and performing environmental documentation to support NEPA.

Developing Complete Streets Concepts for Druid Park Lake Drive

The concepts developed through the Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Feasibility Study were developed using Complete Streets guidance as detailed in Baltimore City’s Complete Streets Manual (2021) and guidance from resources such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) design guides. Through a public outreach process, review of existing plans and studies, discussions with Baltimore City agencies, and application of Complete Streets design principles and best practices, the Project Team developed three concepts for a reimagined Druid Park Lake Drive.

Guiding Complete Streets principles

  • Address safety first;
  • Be accessible by everyone;
  • Improve mobility;
  • Ensure equity;
  • Reflect Baltimore’s unique communities; and
  • Be sustainable.

One of three conceptual design options proposed in the Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Feasibility Study (2022). Public Outreach

An extensive public outreach process was conducted to gain input from community members surrounding the project areas. Public outreach activities included:

  • Conducting one-on-one interviews with community leaders;
  • Organizing community stakeholder visioning exercises;
  • Creating virtual field tours using ArcGIS Online ;
  • Presenting at meetings with community groups; and
  • Holding public meetings and pop-up events.

About

The Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Project will restore connections to Druid Hill Park and the surrounding neighborhoods by creating a safer, multi-modal corridor that is safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. The Project builds from a Complete Streets Feasibility study completed in 2022, which developed concept-level designs. In March of 2024, BCDOT received $6 million in Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to complete preliminary engineering, environmental documentation, and public outreach to select a locally preferred alternative (LPA) and reach 30% design.

Project Location Map

Background

Druid Park Lake Drive is a 2.3-mile corridor in West Baltimore that runs along the perimeter of Druid Hill Park from I-83 to Greenspring Ave. Originally a two-lane residential street, the current alignment of Druid Park Lake Drive is now a 4-to-9-lane arterial road that carries high-speed vehicle traffic, lacks safe pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure, and effectively creates a barrier between neighboring communities and Druid Hill Park.

Existing conditions on the corridor include up to nine travel lanes, complex intersections, and a lack of safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.In 2022, BCDOT initiated a Complete Streets Feasibility study for Druid Park Lake Drive in response to grassroots advocacy calling for safer conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users on the corridor. Through this study, the City conducted analyses of the corridor, coordinated with internal and external stakeholders, and used Complete Streets and NACTO design guidance to develop three end-to-end concepts for Druid Park Lake Drive that improve the safety, accessibility, multi-modal infrastructure, and overall aesthetics of the corridor. The result is three concept designs that provide safe and accessible connections for people traveling on foot, wheelchair, bicycle, transit, e-scooters, and cars.

Addressing Equity

The Corridor is a 2.3-mile principal arterial roadway in Baltimore City with up to nine travel lanes that divides several high-poverty, majority Black communities from Druid Hill Park, one of Baltimore’s largest and most visited parks. The Project is located fully within underserved and disadvantaged communities in Baltimore and will generate significant benefits for residents who have historically been harmed by discriminatory transportation and housing policies, advancing the City’s goals for racial equity.

Long-Term Vision

In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded BCDOT $6 million in Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant funding to advance engineering for the Druid Park Lake Drive Corridor from concept design to 30% design. The project will also focus on conducting public outreach and performing environmental documentation to support NEPA.

Developing Complete Streets Concepts for Druid Park Lake Drive

The concepts developed through the Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Feasibility Study were developed using Complete Streets guidance as detailed in Baltimore City’s Complete Streets Manual (2021) and guidance from resources such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) design guides. Through a public outreach process, review of existing plans and studies, discussions with Baltimore City agencies, and application of Complete Streets design principles and best practices, the Project Team developed three concepts for a reimagined Druid Park Lake Drive.

Guiding Complete Streets principles

  • Address safety first;
  • Be accessible by everyone;
  • Improve mobility;
  • Ensure equity;
  • Reflect Baltimore’s unique communities; and
  • Be sustainable.

One of three conceptual design options proposed in the Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Feasibility Study (2022). Public Outreach

An extensive public outreach process was conducted to gain input from community members surrounding the project areas. Public outreach activities included:

  • Conducting one-on-one interviews with community leaders;
  • Organizing community stakeholder visioning exercises;
  • Creating virtual field tours using ArcGIS Online ;
  • Presenting at meetings with community groups; and
  • Holding public meetings and pop-up events.
  • Druid Hill Park is getting a makeover. Here’s a timeline for all the upgrades. - Baltimore Banner

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    A water project, road changes and recreation on the lake are all planned for the park in the next few years.

    The Druid Lake project to protect Baltimore City and county water from contamination and potential bioterrorism attacks has left many people thirsty for updates about its completion.

    Drive around Druid Hill Park where the lake is located, and the gated-off area and construction vehicles may make it seem that there’s still a lot left to complete the project.

    But city officials say just a few more months.

    The Baltimore City Department of Public Works expects the Druid Lake project to be completed by the end of the summer. One of two tanks — designed to hold 52 million gallons of water combined — is already providing treated drinking water to customers. The second tank is expected to begin operating in the coming months.

    Last December, the department hadn’t announced when the second tank might be operational or when in the summer they were aiming for completion.

    The lake, no longer used as a reservoir, is considered a recreational feature of the park, though not fully built out and available for use, according to the department. Next steps are restoring pathways and trails around the lake, including a loop often used for biking, running and walking.


    Federal government regulations were set in 2006 to either cover or treat open-air sources of drinking water, and jurisdictions were given until 2009 to get approval for compliance plans. The department initially launched construction of the tanks project in 2017, but it was met with delays.

    The city received added pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency last May to comply with federal regulations at its Druid Lake and Lake Ashburton reservoirs and finished just before the amended timelines.

    The department plans to continue quarterly community meetings to provide updates on the project. The next hybrid meeting is planned for June 4, and more details will be shared on the department’s social media channels and website.

    Like a domino effect, the completion of the water tank project will segue into Baltimore City Recreation and Park’s capital project, the Druid Lake Vision Plan. But these recreational enhancements won’t come for a couple of years. Initial plans for the project included never-before-seen amenities at the park, including a bridge across the water, a fishing pier, shorelines, an amphitheater, a swimming area, cafe and a boathouse. The parks department is working with Unknown Studio, a landscape architecture and urban design studio, to bring the plan to the life.

    “What we are trying to do is deliver what the people asked for first, which is really circulation around the lake,” said Nick Glase, principal of Unknown Studio.

    In 2022, the parks department was in the schematic phase of the project. Well, they’re still there. Sort of. A subpart of that phase means following the money.

    “In the next couple of months, we’ll have a better understanding of what things cost and what we anticipate to be able to provide or implement in the phase one of construction,” said Adam Boarman, the parks department’s chief of capital development and planning.

    Boarman added that all in all, the project could cost $60 million to $80 million. The project received $17 million in state funding, but the department needs to ensure that there’s also support locally and possibly get private partners involved.

    The parks department is aiming for construction to begin at the end of 2026.

    Boarman said in an effort to be more transparent about projects, there are plans to create a landing page on their website for tracking progress, including an interactive, geographic information system (GIS) map. They’re pushing for spring to at least get the map up and running.

    In addition to the Baltimore City Department of Public Works and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks projects, the Department of Transportation is supposed to improve major roadways around the park, including Druid Park Lake Drive. Federal funding totaling $6 million was recently awarded to “reconnect West Baltimore communities to Druid Hill Park,” which are often considered cut off because of the widening of Druid Park Lake Drive.

    “We’re very invested in the success of DOT’s efforts on the drive because the condition of the roadway has a direct impact on the success of the park, so we’re looking forward to supporting their efforts, however we can,” said Larissa Torres, a design planner with the parks department.

    Graham Coreil-Allen, a public artist and president of the New Auchentoroly Terrace Association, said its been frustrating to keep up with the changing timelines for projects in and around Druid Hill Park. Completion of the projects is important because they address equitable access, environmental justice and stabilizing the neighborhood, he added. Nonetheless, he’s grateful for the attention city agencies are giving the area.

    “We appreciate our city agencies and we just want them to be able to coordinate more effectively and move more quickly when it comes to these critical investments in West Baltimore,” he said. “I think collectively when it’s all done it’s gonna be a marvelous investment in West Baltimore.”

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  • Druid Park Lake Drive to get safety redesign with $6M in federal funding - Baltimore Fishbowl

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    An infusion of $6 million in federal funding will help redesign a roadway that for decades has impeded West Baltimore communities from safely accessing Druid Hill Park, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation announced Wednesday.

    U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced a total of over $11 million to reconnect communities across Maryland, including the portion focused on West Baltimore. The money was secured through the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

    The $6 million in federal funding will support the redesign of Druid Park Lake Drive to reconnect West Baltimore communities that were cut off from Druid Hill Park after the roadway was widened over 60 years ago. Planning will include evaluation of safety and accessibility enhancements for all road users in addition to eyeing ways to highlight the history of the Park, which is the third oldest public park in the nation.

    Despite strong community opposition, Druid Park Lake Drive was widened between 1948 and 1963 from a two-lane residential street to the highway-sized roadway it is now, with limited crossings that cut off local communities to the park. Since then, residents of the Auchentoroly Terrace, Reservoir Hill, Penn North, and Woodbrook neighborhoods have struggled to access the park.

    The redesign will include traffic-calming measures; increases to the tree canopy; and safety-oriented design elements for cyclists, pedestrians, and people using mobility devices. The planning will also “embrace and reclaim the historic relevance of the area while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing boulevard enhancement,” reads the press release.

    The Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded the funding through the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Grant Programs, created by the lawmakers through the Inflation Reduction Act. They wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of Baltimore City’s grant application for the funding back in November 2023.

    “Ever since Druid Park Lake Drive was widened decades ago – against the wishes of local communities – the roadway stood as a barrier between the historic Druid Hill Park and nearby neighborhoods,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “Through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we secured funding to confront and correct harmful infrastructure decisions of the past – like this one. With this federal investment, Baltimore City can begin to right this wrong, improving safety along the road while restoring more local access to the treasured Druid Hill Park.”

    “Druid Hill Park is a long-standing center for recreation and open space in Baltimore, but for too long, the historically Black communities living right next door have been cut off from this signature park by an imposing roadway that favors high-speed traffic over local residents,” Cardin said in a statement. “This federal funding will support the planning needed to restore connectivity and equitable access to Baltimore’s community parks, and it is part of the Biden Administration’s larger effort to address the disenfranchisement and systemic isolation of Black communities resulting from past infrastructure decisions and projects.”

    “The $6 million-dollar Reconnecting Communities grant will return power to the people impacted by prior and bad transportation decisions that have split communities in half,” Mfume said in a statement. “We will see an improved and unified Druid Park Lake Drive as a result of this federal money.”

    Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott expressed gratitude for the project’s funding.

    “I want to thank Senator Van Hollen, Senator Cardin, and Congressman Mfume for continuing to champion transportation projects in Baltimore City,” Scott said in a statement. “In order to overcome the purposeful, historic disinvestment in infrastructure in Baltimore City, it takes the coordinated efforts of leaders at the local, state, and federal level as well as engagement with our community stakeholders. As the third-oldest public park in the nation, the reshaping of Baltimore’s Druid Hill to make it more accessible, open, and welcoming to every Baltimorean is well-deserved and long-overdue. Baltimore City is on the precipice of a renaissance and it is funding like this that further catalyzes that momentum.”

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  • Baltimore awarded $6 million in federal grant to reconnect communities with Druid Hill Park

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    BALTIMORE - U.S. lawmakers representing Maryland secured $6 million in federal funds to assist in reconnecting west Baltimore communities with Druid Hill Park.

    The money awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation will go toward redesign planning for Druid Park Lake Drive, which was expanded from two lanes to four more than 60 years ago to facilitate faster travel to and from city neighborhoods.

    However, with limited pedestrian crossings, U.S. lawmakers said some communities were cut off from accessing the nation's third-oldest park.

    "The most important thing is that it's very hard to cross the street and it's kind of interesting to see that the rest of the park is cut off from the community," Martin Baesler said.

    "The crossing of the street is not easy at all and it's very high-traffic, fast lane," Guillermo Canner said.

    The more than two-mile arterial roadway borders neighborhoods such as Auchentoroly Terrace, Reservoir Hill, Penn North and Woodbrook.

    "Druid Hill Park is a long-standing center for recreation and open space in Baltimore, but for too long, the historically Black communities living right next door have been cut off from this signature park by an imposing roadway that favors high-speed traffic over local residents," Senator Ben Cardin said. "This federal funding will support the planning needed to restore connectivity and equitable access to Baltimore's community parks, and it is part of the Biden Administration's larger effort to address the disenfranchisement and systemic isolation of Black communities resulting from past infrastructure decisions and projects."

    Baltimore City officials said with the infusion of federal funds for the project, the goal is to reconnect surrounding streets with Druid Hill Park through calmer traffic, increased tree canopy and designs that make the road safer for all users, including cyclists, pedestrians, transit passengers and people using mobility devices.

    The award is one of six federal grants that total more than $11 million for the state of Maryland to address infrastructure that divided communities in the state, lawmakers said.

    "Ever since Druid Park Lake Drive was widened decades ago – against the wishes of local communities – the roadway stood as a barrier between the historic Druid Hill Park and nearby neighborhoods. Through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we secured funding to confront and correct harmful infrastructure decisions of the past – like this one. With this federal investment, Baltimore City can begin to right this wrong, improving safety along the road while restoring more local access to the treasured Druid Hill Park," said Senator Chris Van Hollen.

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  • Van Hollen, Cardin, Mfume Announce $6 Million for Planning to Reconnect West Baltimore Communities to Druid Hill Park

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    Lawmakers announce over $11 million in total to reconnect communities across Maryland, secured through the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced $6,000,000 for Baltimore City’s Restoring Connections to Druid Hill Park Project. This federal funding will support redesign planning for Druid Park Lake Drive in order to reconnect West Baltimore communities cut off from Druid Hill Park following the widening of the roadway over 60 years ago. The planning process will also evaluate safety and accessibility enhancements to benefit all road users and incorporate ways to accentuate the history of the Park – the third oldest public park in the country.

    The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and provided through the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Grant Program, which the lawmakers worked to create and fund through the Inflation Reduction Act. Today’s announcement comes after the lawmakers wrote in November to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of Baltimore City’s grant application for the funding.

    “Ever since Druid Park Lake Drive was widened decades ago – against the wishes of local communities – the roadway stood as a barrier between the historic Druid Hill Park and nearby neighborhoods. Through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we secured funding to confront and correct harmful infrastructure decisions of the past – like this one. With this federal investment, Baltimore City can begin to right this wrong, improving safety along the road while restoring more local access to the treasured Druid Hill Park,” said Senator Van Hollen.

    “Druid Hill Park is a long-standing center for recreation and open space in Baltimore, but for too long, the historically Black communities living right next door have been cut off from this signature park by an imposing roadway that favors high-speed traffic over local residents,” said Senator Cardin. “This federal funding will support the planning needed to restore connectivity and equitable access to Baltimore’s community parks, and it is part of the Biden Administration’s larger effort to address the disenfranchisement and systemic isolation of Black communities resulting from past infrastructure decisions and projects.”

    “The $6 million dollar Reconnecting Communities grant will return power to the people impacted by prior and bad transportation decisions that have split communities in half. We will see an improved and unified Druid Park Lake Drive as a result of this federal money,” said Congressman Kweisi Mfume.

    “I want to thank Senator Van Hollen, Senator Cardin, and Congressman Mfume for continuing to champion transportation projects in Baltimore City,” said Baltimore City Mayor Brandon. M Scott. “In order to overcome the purposeful, historic disinvestment in infrastructure in Baltimore City, it takes the coordinated efforts of leaders at the local, state, and federal level as well as engagement with our community stakeholders. As the third-oldest public park in the nation, the reshaping of Baltimore’s Druid Hill to make it more accessible, open, and welcoming to every Baltimorean is well-deserved and long-overdue. Baltimore City is on the precipice of a renaissance and it is funding like this that further catalyzes that momentum.”

    Druid Park Lake Drive is a 2.3 mile arterial roadway in Baltimore that divides several majority-Black communities from Druid Hill Park, a 745-acre site with the distinction of being one of the oldest public parks in the United States. Originally a two-lane residential street, Druid Park Lake Drive was widened in spite of community opposition between 1948 and 1963 to facilitate faster travel to and from the Baltimore suburbs. The result is the current, highway-sized roadway with limited crossings that cuts off local communities from the park – neighborhoods such as Auchentoroly Terrace, Reservoir Hill, Penn North, and Woodbrook.

    With this $6,000,000 in federal funding, Baltimore City aims to provide the surrounding streets with a renewed sense of connectedness to Druid Hill Park through calmer traffic, increased tree canopy, and safety-oriented design elements to make the road safer for all users – including cyclists, pedestrians, transit passengers, and people using mobility devices. Planning is also intended to embrace and reclaim the historic relevance of the area while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing boulevard enhancement.

    This award is one of six federal grants totaling more than $11 million that the lawmakers are announcing for Maryland to address infrastructure that has divided communities in our state. The awards are funded by both the NAE Program and DOT’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program – an initiative the lawmakers fought successfully to include in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The RCP provisions in the infrastructure law were modeled off of legislation authored by Senator Van Hollen and introduced as a bill by Senator Van Hollen and Senator Cardin. Cardin championed the legislation in his role as the Chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the Senate, and led in part by Congressman Mfume in the House. Last year, the lawmakers secured $2 million from the RCP Program for Baltimore City to plan for the redevelopment of the Highway to Nowhere.

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Page last updated: 29 Jun 2024, 04:51 PM