By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), alongside several Maryland congressional delegation members, announced more than $15 million for Baltimore City’s Hanover Street Corridor revitalization project on June 26.
“While the Hanover Street Corridor has long been a critical route into Baltimore City from the south, it has also been an obstacle to progress for the communities it passes through,” they said in a joint statement. “We worked to deliver $15.5 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve transit, pedestrian walkways and other transportation options in South Baltimore. This investment will help realize a new vision for the corridor – a vision to bring neighborhoods together and promote equitable access to economic opportunity for the residents of South Baltimore.”
The 2.4-mile corridor is located between Interstate 95 and the Baltimore City boundary line with Anne Arundel County, Md.
The federal funding derives from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
Some of the legislators wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in March supporting the city’s application for the funds.
“It is impossible to overstate just how critical the Hanover Street Corridor Revitalization Project is for Baltimoreans, particularly those residents in South Baltimore in neighborhoods like Cherry Hill and Curtis Bay who rely on the corridor for connection to the rest of the city,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) in a statement. “The importance only became heightened following the tragic collapse of the Key Bridge earlier this year, which limited other routes of travel and increased the amount of traffic utilizing the century-old Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge. This federal grant will move this project forward fully with federal dollars and ensure that the Baltimoreans that need it most realize the benefits of this updated transportation corridor.”