Baltimore unveils Highway to Nowhere plan aimed at reconnecting West Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Baltimore leaders unveiled the city's preferred concept for reimagining the "Highway to Nowhere" during a public meeting Thursday night, marking the final community meeting before the project moves into its next phase.

The project stems from two federal grants awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation. City officials say Baltimore must complete the planning phase before it can access an additional $85 million federal grant for design and construction.

The city's preferred plan calls for removing overhead ramps that connect the highway across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Officials describe the project as a way to reconnect neighborhoods the highway divided decades ago. The proposal includes new open space, public amenities, and safety improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers.

"We're taking that edge of the Highway to Nowhere and filling it with dirt partway through the corridor, and then we're going to build essentially a land bridge on the other side," said Sean Burnett, capital planning chief with Baltimore City's Department of Transportation. The land bridge could eventually provide park space and other community amenities.

City leaders say the goal is to use the initial project as a model that could be expanded throughout the corridor in the future.

The next step is submitting the plan to the Federal Highway Administration for review. If approved, Baltimore would be able to access the $85 million construction grant and begin moving the project toward final engineering and construction.

Officials said the project is also being coordinated with plans for the future Red Line transit project in an effort to maximize investment in West Baltimore.

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