Proposed Bridge Connecting Light Rail to Neighborhood Draws Concerns

A proposed concrete pathway connecting the Lutherville light rail stop to a nearby neighborhood is drawing ire from some community members who feel they haven’t been kept in the loop by the Maryland Transit Administration.

MTA conducted a feasibility study in 2010 and approached Baltimore County Del. Steve Lafferty in late March about constructing a bridge from the platform to Greenspring Drive.

“My first question was ‘have you talked to the neighborhood about it?’ And the answer was no they did not,” Lafferty told members of the Lutherville Community Association Tuesday evening.

Though a man-made pathway currently exists—pre-dating the installation of the light rail itself—some residents fear that creating a formal bridge to the neighborhood might aid criminal activity. Other concerns from Tuesday night’s assembly focused on parking issues along Greenspring Drive in the community in Lutherville.

Potential light rail riders could park their cars along the quiet Lutherville street.

An MTA spokesman did not immediately return Patch’s calls seeking comment.

“Nobody from the MTA wanted to talk to the community about this project ... that’s unconscionable,” Eric Rockel, the community association’s public facilities chairman, said.  “The question comes — do we formerly want a path?”

The existing dirt pathway was carved over decades of walking traffic from the neighborhood to the nearby shopping center. At least one community association member voiced approval of the bridge citing a requirement that the path be Americans with Disabilities Act certified.

The conversation quickly eroded into a discussion about the crime issues tied to light rail use and the need for lights and cameras to be installed at all light rail stations.

The bridge would cost between $496,200 and $530,400 depending on the material and size, appoximately, according to the study.

The community association is planning on gauging the opinions of the community by holding meetings in the future with MTA representatives, according to Rockel.

Stay with Patch as we continue to update this story.