Lutherville Light Rail Bridge Project Draws Ire, Stalls

A proposed bridge connecting the Lutherville light rail platform to the community likely will not make it out of preliminary planning stages, officials said during a meeting with residents and Maryland Transit Administration representatives.

“We have no money and the community is not interested in it. ... We would have to assess if this is something that we would want to do in the future,” said Pat Keller, deputy administrator in statewide service development for MTA.

Community stakeholders met with MTA officials Wednesday evening at the to discuss the project that when it was discovered in March, MTA had sought support from a local lawmaker, prior to discussing the project with the community. 

More than 100 residents—the majority against the project—railed against the plans, which would solidify a pre-existing dirt path that leads to the platform.

It was MTA’s hope to make the pathway, which borders a stream, safer for travelers. Lutherville residents balked at the idea, insisting that creating easier access to their neighborhood would invite more crime to the community.

At least 20 speakers testified that they had been the victims of crimes associated with light rail passengers over the last few years.

“If the project proceeded there would be additional input, but I don’t know if the project will proceed based on the feedback that we’ve received tonight. It’s not funded. It’s not in the capital program,” Dan Reagle, an MTA environmental planner, said.

Reagle explained that he and representatives from East Coast Greenway, a bike an trail user advocacy group, looked at a number of projects across the county that would meet the requirements for a federal grant.

Ultimately, however, MTA did not pursue the grant, leaving the project with only a feasibility study behind it.