WASHINGTON –
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) announced today the Maryland Transit Administration will receive $1,485,000 in funding to begin the planning process to build a Red and Green Transit line in the Baltimore region. The funding is the first installment of $105.3 million that was authorized for the two projects in SAFETEA-LU, the five-year transportation bill that was enacted into law in 2005.

As currently proposed in the Baltimore Region Transit System plan, the Red Line will be an East-West transit line, extending approximately 11 miles from the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn to Fells Point in Baltimore City. The Green Line will extend from the existing Metro system at Johns Hopkins Hospital for approximately five miles northeast to Morgan State University.

“This is the first step in a very important process that will allow the Baltimore region to move ahead with two very important transportation projects that are critical to future growth and development. The Red and Green Lines will provide service to areas that currently have limited transportation available to commuters. This funding will guarantee that the Red and Green Lines will continue to move forward in a timely manner for the next five years,” said Sen. Cardin, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The Senator also stressed that “we must put more funding into mass transportation projects to reduce traffic congestion, provide commuters with a safe and reliable way to get to work, to help reduce global warming.”