More than $85 million allocated to redevelop Baltimore's Highway to Nowhere

BALTIMORE -- More than $85 million in federal funding has been allocated to begin redeveloping the Highway to Nowhere in West Baltimore, Senators Chris Van Hollen, Angela Alsobrooks and Congressman Kweisi Mfume announced Tuesday.

The Highway to Nowhere - a stretch of US 40 from West Baltimore's MARC Station to MLK Boulevard - was built in the 1970s. The project destroyed homes and displaced 1,500 residents, leaving communities divided and damaged.

In 2021, several Maryland officials, including Sen. Van Hollen and Rep. Mfume, shared their intention to remove the Highway to Nowhere through a bill that would also address other communities separated by highways.

"They were built kind of with the mandate of going through the cheapest land possible. It really bisected—it separated—a neighborhood, a very vibrant neighborhood at the time,"  Dr. Celeste Chavis of Morgan State University previously told WJZ.

The $85,511,803 in federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Program, an initiative included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, officials said.

The legislation was drafted with the goal of reconnecting communities that are isolated and excluded from economic opportunities by infrastructure decisions.

According to officials, the funds will be used to build a cap over one of the blocks of the highway, tear down existing ramps and incorporate safety improvements at certain locations and intersections. The project aims to improve accessibility within nearby neighborhoods in West Baltimore.

Leaders said the investment should remove barriers to economic development by reconnecting disadvantaged communities in West Baltimore to the city's business district.

"For far too long, the Highway to Nowhere has divided West Baltimore and been a barrier to economic growth and opportunity in Baltimore… with this major $85 million federal investment, work can begin to reunite West Baltimore, revitalize its neighborhoods, and boost opportunity for residents," said Senator Van Hollen.

What's next for the community?

It is unclear what the Highway to Nowhere would be replaced with, but in the spring of 2023, state and federal officials secured $2 million for a two-year study to close the highway and create a community-led alternative.

At that time, Rep. Mfume suggested filling the site and replacing it with parts, recreation and entertainment options along with bike lanes.