West Baltimore United: A Plan to Reconnect Communities

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About the Project

The West Baltimore United (WBU) Project is a collaborative effort between the City of Baltimore, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Baltimore Department of Planning, Baltimore Development Corporation, and Maryland Transit Administration to advance long-overdue improvements in West Baltimore, where the "Highway to Nowhere" has divided communities for over 50 years.

The WBU project will begin with visioning and goal setting, but will progress to assess existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints, including constructability, multimodal traffic circulation, market demand, and project financing. This project will advance planning elements beyond ideas collected in previous planning studies but will build on previous work to set the communities of West Baltimore on a path to a brighter future. The project will be guided by 5 core principles:

  • Acknowledging the challenges of embarking on a new planning project given the complicated history.
  • Reflecting and honoring the memory of the communities that were damaged by the highway and celebrate the culture of West Baltimore today.
  • Establishing, empowering, and maintaining a Stakeholder Workgroup to inform and guide the decision-making process.
  • Undertaking a transparent process that gains broad public support.
  • Maintaining open dialog with the community throughout the project.

Project Focus Area

Map of the West Baltimore United project area showing the Franklin Mulberry Expressway / US 40 with inset context map of surrounding Baltimore neighborhoods.


Upcoming Events

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our recent community workshops. We are reviewing the input we received and preparing next steps for the West Baltimore United Project.

Additional opportunities to engage will be posted here as they are scheduled. To be notified about future events, subscribe to project updates using the "Follow Project" tool on this page.

Stakeholder Workgroup

Previous Meetings

Meeting #7: May 13th, 2025

Meeting #6: April 8th, 2025

Meeting #5: February 25, 2025

Meeting #4: October 22, 2024

Meeting #3: August 19, 2024

Meeting #2: July 16, 2024

Meeting #1: June 3, 2024

Previous Events

Spring 2026 Community Workshops

On Thursday, June 11, 2026, and Saturday, June 13, 2026, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration, hosted two community workshops for the West Baltimore United Project at the Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts. Held in an open-house format, the workshops invited community members to learn more about the project, review materials, and share feedback to help shape the future of West Baltimore. The same information was presented at both sessions.

The display boards presented at the workshops are available below.

West Baltimore United Community Workshop Boards — June 2026 (PDF, 21.84 MB)

Project Update Meeting

On June 12, 2024, Baltimore City Department of Transportation held a project update meeting to provide a summary of what was heard and learned during the community workshops held earlier this year as well as present preliminary alternatives for the US-40 Expressway "Highway to Nowhere" reconnection.

Community Workshop

On January 25, 2024, and February 10, 2024, Baltimore City Department of Transportation hosted a community workshop to kick-off the WBU project. BCDOT and partnering agencies were joined by more than 75 community members between the two identical workshops where participants learned more about the project process and were able to share their thoughts on opportunities, challenges, and areas of perseveration throughout the corridor as well as share their vision and priorities for this project as it moves forward.

Community Workshop Introduction

January Community Summaries

February Community Summaries

Community Workshop Closing

January 25, 2024

Workshop 1

February 10, 2024

Workshop 2

Project History

The Highway to Nowhere is a remnant of past efforts to connect Interstate 70 with Interstates 83 and 95 around Baltimore’s Central Business District. However, those highway connections were never completed. Ultimately, the strong community advocacy of the neighborhoods prevailed; but not before the West Baltimore section of Route 40 was constructed, thus earning the local moniker the "Highway to Nowhere."

Construction resulted in the demolition of 971 homes and 62 businesses, subsequently displacing approximately 1,500 residents, many of whom were Black. Roughly 50 years later, the road remains a physical and symbolic barrier to progress, dividing large swaths of West Baltimore that were once connected.

This 1.4-mile-long trench serves limited value to the transportation network, is a safety hazard with large grade separations and high-speed traffic and is an eyesore dominating the landscape.

Grant Opportunities


For questions or additional information about the Highway to Nowhere, the Reconnecting Communities Planning Study, or the federal grant funding, contact us at westbaltimoreunited@baltimorecity.gov.

About the Project

The West Baltimore United (WBU) Project is a collaborative effort between the City of Baltimore, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Baltimore Department of Planning, Baltimore Development Corporation, and Maryland Transit Administration to advance long-overdue improvements in West Baltimore, where the "Highway to Nowhere" has divided communities for over 50 years.

The WBU project will begin with visioning and goal setting, but will progress to assess existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints, including constructability, multimodal traffic circulation, market demand, and project financing. This project will advance planning elements beyond ideas collected in previous planning studies but will build on previous work to set the communities of West Baltimore on a path to a brighter future. The project will be guided by 5 core principles:

  • Acknowledging the challenges of embarking on a new planning project given the complicated history.
  • Reflecting and honoring the memory of the communities that were damaged by the highway and celebrate the culture of West Baltimore today.
  • Establishing, empowering, and maintaining a Stakeholder Workgroup to inform and guide the decision-making process.
  • Undertaking a transparent process that gains broad public support.
  • Maintaining open dialog with the community throughout the project.

Project Focus Area

Map of the West Baltimore United project area showing the Franklin Mulberry Expressway / US 40 with inset context map of surrounding Baltimore neighborhoods.


Upcoming Events

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our recent community workshops. We are reviewing the input we received and preparing next steps for the West Baltimore United Project.

Additional opportunities to engage will be posted here as they are scheduled. To be notified about future events, subscribe to project updates using the "Follow Project" tool on this page.

Stakeholder Workgroup

Previous Meetings

Meeting #7: May 13th, 2025

Meeting #6: April 8th, 2025

Meeting #5: February 25, 2025

Meeting #4: October 22, 2024

Meeting #3: August 19, 2024

Meeting #2: July 16, 2024

Meeting #1: June 3, 2024

Previous Events

Spring 2026 Community Workshops

On Thursday, June 11, 2026, and Saturday, June 13, 2026, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration, hosted two community workshops for the West Baltimore United Project at the Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts. Held in an open-house format, the workshops invited community members to learn more about the project, review materials, and share feedback to help shape the future of West Baltimore. The same information was presented at both sessions.

The display boards presented at the workshops are available below.

West Baltimore United Community Workshop Boards — June 2026 (PDF, 21.84 MB)

Project Update Meeting

On June 12, 2024, Baltimore City Department of Transportation held a project update meeting to provide a summary of what was heard and learned during the community workshops held earlier this year as well as present preliminary alternatives for the US-40 Expressway "Highway to Nowhere" reconnection.

Community Workshop

On January 25, 2024, and February 10, 2024, Baltimore City Department of Transportation hosted a community workshop to kick-off the WBU project. BCDOT and partnering agencies were joined by more than 75 community members between the two identical workshops where participants learned more about the project process and were able to share their thoughts on opportunities, challenges, and areas of perseveration throughout the corridor as well as share their vision and priorities for this project as it moves forward.

Community Workshop Introduction

January Community Summaries

February Community Summaries

Community Workshop Closing

January 25, 2024

Workshop 1

February 10, 2024

Workshop 2

Project History

The Highway to Nowhere is a remnant of past efforts to connect Interstate 70 with Interstates 83 and 95 around Baltimore’s Central Business District. However, those highway connections were never completed. Ultimately, the strong community advocacy of the neighborhoods prevailed; but not before the West Baltimore section of Route 40 was constructed, thus earning the local moniker the "Highway to Nowhere."

Construction resulted in the demolition of 971 homes and 62 businesses, subsequently displacing approximately 1,500 residents, many of whom were Black. Roughly 50 years later, the road remains a physical and symbolic barrier to progress, dividing large swaths of West Baltimore that were once connected.

This 1.4-mile-long trench serves limited value to the transportation network, is a safety hazard with large grade separations and high-speed traffic and is an eyesore dominating the landscape.

Grant Opportunities


For questions or additional information about the Highway to Nowhere, the Reconnecting Communities Planning Study, or the federal grant funding, contact us at westbaltimoreunited@baltimorecity.gov.

  • Comment Card

    The West Baltimore United Project is studying ways to reconnect and revitalize West Baltimore communities. Community input will help shape a Corridor Concept Plan that guides future infrastructure, transit, and community development improvements while coordinating with other major West Baltimore transportation projects.


    Complete Comment Card
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Page last updated: 30 Jun 2026, 02:38 PM