Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and Representative Kweisi Mfume, announced more than $85 million in federal funding for the first phase of redevelopment of the Highway to Nowhere.
The money is coming from the US Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Program, which was a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
"For far too long, the Highway to Nowhere has divided West Baltimore and been a barrier to economic growth and opportunity in Baltimore," says Senator Chris Van Hollen. "We fought to create the Reconnecting Communities Program in the infrastructure modernization law to address this injustice and right similar wrongs across the country."
The plan for the $85 million announced today is to cap one block of highway, tear down ramps over the highway, and add safety improvements to make mobility and accessibility easier.
A highway cap, according to the Environmental Protection Agency is a deck plaza that is put on top of a lowered portion of a highway and can support amenities like parks.
"This is the kind of investment in Baltimore we must continue to champion," says Senator Angela Alsobrooks. "These critical funds are an important next step towards a stronger, more unified Baltimore."
The Highway to Nowhere was originally built in the 1970s. The project displaced 1,500 residents, destroyed homes and businesses, and divided communities. This happened in places across the country, and the Reconnecting Communities initiative from the US DOT aims to address that.
"This award represents a critical first step in bringing communities and neighborhoods that were divided by highway infrastructure back together around a more connected, safe and livable future," says Paul Weidefeld, Maryland's Transportation Secretary.
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott added that a previously awarded planning grant allowed the City agencies to hear from residents that have been impacted by the division the Highway to Nowhere creates.
"...[N]ow, with this historic level of funding we are able to build on that momentum and produce real change for our most impacted residents," says Mayor Scott.