BALTIMORE, MD (October 14, 2015) – Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Department of Transportation Director William Johnson and members of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Commission were pleased to announce that the city recently received more than $2 million in grant funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements. These grants, recently awarded by the State of Maryland, will assist the city with expanding its biking infrastructure.

“We are grateful to our partners at the State for helping the city to improve and expand our biking infrastructure,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “Grants like these help us to provide an innovative, multi-modal transportation system which better serves the citizens of Baltimore.”

Baltimore City received two State grant awards for biking and pedestrian initiatives. Nearly $2 million was awarded by the State Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives program to construct a protected bicycle track along Potomac Street and implement safety improvements around the Inner Harbor, including high visibility crosswalks, ADA ramps, pedestrian signal upgrades and enhancements to the Jones Falls Trail.

In addition, over $300,000 was awarded to the city through MDOT’s Transportation Bikeways program. This grant will fund the installation of a protected cycle track along W. Pratt Street from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to Light Street. The grant will also fund a new “pop-up” cycle track along E. Pratt Street. This modern demonstration project is the first to be funded by any state in the country.

“We are proud to work with the State as we continue to implement improvements that make the city more bicycle and pedestrian friendly,” said Director Johnson. “We are committed to providing a safe and sustainable multi-modal transportation system.”

With $3.5 million in state grant awards allocated for the region, the City of Baltimore is proud to receive a considerable portion of this funding. This demonstrates the city’s need for improved bicycle facilities that provide additional transit choices for commuters.

"Good bicycle facilities promote sustainability, good health, and economic development, and are also an inexpensive way to address mobility barriers for many Baltimoreans,” said Jon Laria, Chair of the Mayor’s Bicycle Commission. “These grants will allow us to continue implementing the City's new Bicycle Master Plan."