Editor:
Re: The Red Line Transit Project
As an Edmondson Village homeowner, taxpayer and transit user, I support the Red Line transit project.
Access to livable wage jobs is an issue for most in my community, as 25 percent of the households in Edmondson Village do not own a vehicle. The Red Line will begin to correct this problem by providing fast and convenient rail access to hundreds of thousands of jobs downtown and across the Baltimore region. In fact, it is expected to run within half a mile of 73 percent of all jobs forecast for Baltimore City by 2030.
The Red Line will not only connect workers with jobs but its construction will create new ones. The Red Line is estimated to create or support more than 9,000 jobs during its construction period, which is supposed to begin within the next two years.
It also has the potential to encourage new investment, development and improvements in my neighborhood, and other communities along the line.
The Red Line will have a dedicated right-of-way and tunnel, which will allow it to carry large numbers of passengers through and under the most congested parts of the city with ease. It will connect directly to the existing Metro subway and light rail, giving the city a true rail transit network for the first time. In addition, it will be integrated into our communities and will encourage more people to get out of their cars and onto our transit system.
I believe the Red Line will be a uniting force for Baltimore as it winds it ways through our diverse neighborhoods. With the funding coming into place, our opportunity has arrived to finally add this critical missing link to our transportation system.
That’s why I’m urging our state legislators and Governor-Elect Hogan to do everything they can to make the Red Line a reality, and to make a transit system worthy of the people that live in our great city.
Kristerfer Burnett
Neighbors Without Borders of Greater Southwest Baltimore
www.NeighborsWithoutBordersSw.com