BALTIMORE — We've talked about it since the Gov. Parris Glendening days: the potential east-west transit line connecting Baltimore City and County.
This week, a series of five open houses across Baltimore is giving folks a chance to see what state transit planners are working on, more than a year after the project's revival.
RELATED: MTA hosts open houses for Red Line Project
On Wednesday afternoon, as folks wound down the work day, that series made its way to the War Memorial building in downtown Baltimore. Print-outs showing the development's progress, considerations, and analysis rounded out the historic building's upper floor.
Presented to attendees: three options, dubbed 'Alternatives,' 1, 2A, and 2B, for the Red Line's route. Months ago, the Maryland Transit Administration announced light rail would be the preferred mode of transportation for the line, which would run from Woodlawn to Bayview.
WMAR spoke with Allison Scott, the Red Line's Senior Project Director. Scott worked on the project in the private sector in the early 2000s before its cancellation and has since rejoined it after it was revived.
"I’m excited," Scott said, "I’m also a Baltimore City resident, so I’m excited for the future, for the implementation of this project."
Each option has its own unique implications, cost to build, and time to complete, the characteristics of which could be mixed in the final route, Scott explained.
Route construction and operation would impact different parts of the route in different ways. 'Alternative A' calls for two tunnels, including in Downtown Baltimore, for example, which "would involve surface alternative construction activities, as well as some elements that add complexity, risk, cost, and time to the project," an MDOT slide reads.
"The project is a 14-mile project," Scott explained," "so it's a regional project meant to connect people to opportunities, including those opportunities downtown, which are jobs, healthcare, school, really the potential to unlock opportunities for folks. What that means is- any major capital investment will have an impact on downtown both in economic benefits as well as construction impacts that we mitigate through design."
No route is set in stone just yet; the project is still in its planning stage. Depending on what is selected, WMAR is told the final cost could range between $5 billion and $9 billion, factoring in inflation during the building years.
“Development has changed in the east side of Baltimore," Scott noted. "So there have been changes in things that have gotten built since the project was canceled all the way across the corridor that have us re-looking at some of the decisions that were made. We have to make sure we don’t have a planned route that goes through a building that exists now that didn’t exist before.”
The remaining meetings are as follows:
Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Woodlawn High School, 1801 Woodlawn Dr., Gwynn Oak, MD 21207
Thursday, October 24, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224
Saturday, October 26, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Edmondson Westside High School, 501 North Athol Ave., Baltimore, MD 21229
You can also comment online at redlinemaryland.com
