Baltimore Unveils Improvements To Areas Near Lake Montebello During Lake2Lake Play Day
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore City officials unveiled improvements to several areas around Lake Montebello, including safer access to Druid Hill Park, Saturday as part of its Lake2Lake Play Day.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials' Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery initiative funded the improvements, according to a statement from the Baltimore Department of Transportation. Baltimore was one of 10 cities to receive the special funding, Theo Ngongang, the department's deputy director, said in the statement.
The Lake2Lake Play Day featured fun and free or inexpensive ways residents can be active and healthy outdoors, including yoga, bike rentals, guided walks of Herring Run, and skating. Bikemore, Black People Ride Bikes, and Graham Projects were partners in the effort, according to the statement.
With the $50,000 grant:
- The department installed traffic calming devices at 33rd Street and Hillen Road for safer access to Lake Montebello and will repair parts of The Big Jump path and Druid Park Lake Drive;
- Bikemore repaired bicycles during informational pop-ups;
- Black People Ride Bikes held led activities so people could learn about safe bicycling and civic engagement;
- and Graham Projects hosted pop-ups to inspire artwork that will be installed at 33rd Street and Hillen Road, along with future art for The Big Jump barricades.
Druid Hill Park and Lake Montebello both have seen increases in usage during the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought space to participate in outdoor activities.
"As the City of Baltimore continues its recovery from the many impacts of COVID-19, we have been working to adapt our streets for lasting, community-driven change that improves safety and accessibility for all residents," Mayor Brandon Scott said. "As we continue to implement our complete streets policy and the Greenway Network Plan, residents will continue to see real changes in how our transportation infrastructure is utilized."
