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October 1, 2004
BTA Board of Advisors Focuses on Study Corridor At its September 29 meeting, the BTA Board of Advisors discussed progress on funding for the Red Line as well as recent BTA activities. Henry Kay took the committee on a "virtual" tour of the Red and Green Line corridors, highlighting current conditions and characteristics that will drive the development of alternatives. Meeting minutes and a description of committee opportunities will be distributed to board members in early October. The next meeting of the board is scheduled for Monday, December 20, 2004 at 8 a.m. at GBC.
Governor Fulfills Commitment to Fund Red Line A draft transportation capital budget released September 23 by the Maryland Department of Transportation includes $242 million in new transit funding to plan and begin construction of the proposed east-west Red Line from Woodlawn to Fells Point and to begin planning an extension of the existing Metro Green Line. This funding fulfills a commitment made by the Ehrlich administration to members of the Baltimore region's legislative delegation, particularly Senator Nathanial McFadden and Delegate Maggie McIntosh. The budget, known as the Consolidated Transportation Program, covers fiscal years 2005 through 2010 and includes an additional $232 million for Red Line and $10 million for the Green Line. In addition to previous allocations, funding for both projects now totals $248.4 million making them the largest current transportation investments in the Baltimore Region. The additional funding is for the planning, engineering, property acquisition, and construction phases of the Red Line. The funding is allocated according to the likely project schedule, meaning that only one year of construction funding is shown in 2010. Funding for the later phases is contingent on the allocation of federal funds which are assumed to make up 50 percent of the total.
BTA to Hold Preview of Red Line Alternatives BTA members and friends are invited to preview MTA's latest thinking on Red Line alternatives before they are presented to the public at upcoming workshops. MTA will share plans and displays with Baltimore Transit Alliance members at an open house on Thursday, October 21, 2004. The open house will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the GBC Board Room, 111 South Calvert Street, Suite 1700. RSVP to Carolyn Hassan at carolynh@gbc.org or 410-727-2820. Hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer will be served.
Advocates of Transit-Led Livable Communities Meet In Los Angeles In September BTA's Henry Kay joined hundreds of advocates of transit and livable communities at the annual meeting of Railvolution in Los Angeles. Railvolution is a national organization that promotes investments in transit to "build and sustain livable and equitable communities by providing objective information on the importance of and relationship among land use and transportation planning, economic development, and good general project and transit station design." Kay attended a number of informative sessions, including discussions on implementing Bus Rapid Transit and weaving new transit lines through mature communities. Over the past 15 years the Los Angeles region has built a new system of subway, light rail and bus rapid transit lines, and now has the third highest ridership in the country after New York and Chicago.
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