Baltimore’s East-West Transit Project Starts October 6: What Riders Should Know

White bus and bicycle lane markings appear on red pavement.

Baltimore’s RAISE East-West Transit Priority Project is scheduled to begin construction October 6, bringing changes along the CityLink Blue and CityLink Orange corridors. The Maryland Transit Administration announced the start September 10 and says work will proceed in phases through 2029.

The $50 million project includes a $22 million federal RAISE grant. Its 20-mile corridor runs from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in western Baltimore County, through downtown Baltimore, to the Fox Ridge community in eastern Baltimore County. The practical focus is the daily trip: reaching work, school, health care and other destinations more reliably.

MTA will hold virtual public meetings September 22 from noon–1:30 p.m. and 6–7:30 p.m. The project website requires advance registration and provides separate links for each session. Riders, residents and business owners can hear the construction plans and ask questions before crews begin work.

Planned improvements include bus-priority traffic signals, dedicated bus lanes, accessible ramps, crosswalks and better lighting. The project’s design page identifies potential signal-priority work at up to 55 traffic lights and accessibility and amenity upgrades at more than 120 bus stops. Bicycle improvements would connect downtown with the West Baltimore MARC station.

Those features address different parts of the same journey. A signal can help a bus move through an intersection; a better crossing or ramp can make it easier to reach the stop. The project website’s interactive map lets residents examine proposed locations and submit comments, including concerns about the places they use most often.

MTA says crews will work mainly on weekdays during daytime hours, with some evening or weekend work when needed. Most individual bus-stop upgrades are expected to take three to five days. That estimate applies to a stop’s work, while the larger corridor project extends across several years.

Before the meetings, identify your usual stop and note questions about access during construction. Use the official project page for registration and maps, and consult MTA service alerts for trip-specific changes. For another current travel notice, read our Lower Pindell Park & Ride update.