Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Design Effort

Using a combination of previously completed studies of the area, current and future plans, analysis of current conditions, and input from the community, a future-minded design concept will be created that highlights neighborhood features and reconnects people to the park.

Project Purpose

1.       Initiate a study and concept design for the two-mile corridor of Druid Park Lake Drive from the I-83 off ramp to the second entrance of Greenspring Ave.

2.       Evaluate and identify opportunities for traffic calming and roadway enhancements to improve the corridor’s safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users reflecting concepts and guidelines outlined within the Baltimore City Complete Streets Draft Manual.

3.       Incorporate ways to embrace and reclaim the historic relevance of this area, while maintaining more of an aesthetically pleasing boulevard enhancement.

Goals:

·       Identify areas of multimodal improvement

·       Develop methods for traffic calming

·       Identify areas for safer connections for those traveling outside of a car

·       Re-incorporate roadway sections to become part of the park  

·       Consider new circulation/ traffic patterns to highlight historical/structural elements from their original vantage points

·       Design a corridor that models a boulevard concept and incorporates aesthetic elements and ADA features

History of Druid Park Lake Drive:

Many residents of the Black and Jewish neighborhoods nearby, expressed their opposition to the expressway, arguing that it would negatively affect their community and asking why they weren’t consulted

The JFX & DPLD Exit ramps under construction, 1955-1962. Druid Park Lake Drive was intended to be used almost exclusively to reduce commute times for suburban dwellers who worked in downtown Baltimore. The construction also severed the historical connection to the Reservoir Hill and Mt. Royal Terrace neighborhoods below the iconic Moorish Tower. 

Between 1927 and 1964, Druid Park Lake Drive’s construction reduced the number of pedestrian access points to Druid Hill Park from 18 to just 5. Photos and information courtesy of Unknown Studio https://www.unknownstudio.la/ and Toole Design https://tooledesign.com/

https://tapdruidhill.org/2019/01/01/highway-history-druid-hill-park/ -Does a deep dive into the inequity involved in the decision making process for the design of Druid Lake Park Drive
https://www.mdhumanities.org/2018/09/the-big-jump-and-urban-planning-history-in-druid-hill-park/ -Also discusses the history of DPLD but also mentions the desires of current residents

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-04-13-1996104036-story.html -Discusses some of the unique stories from the segregated period of Druid Hill Park

https://www.parkschool.net/about/archives/druid-hill-park-then-and-now/ -Has some great photos and post cards tying into the history of the Park

https://americanhistory.si.edu/america-on-the-move/interstate-10 -A history of the Interstate Highway system in America with a brief discussion about how some of these highways were planned through communities of color and the social impact of those highways”

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