Baltimore to Allocate $44 Million to ADA Compliance

Baltimore will spend at least $44 million on accessibility upgrades for city sidewalks following a lawsuit by three residents.

As Mark Reutter explains in Baltimore Brew, “Under the agreement, which will go before the BOE for approval on November 20, the city will allocate at least $8 million in state Highway User Revenues to install and upgrade curb ramps and walkways to ADA standards in fiscal 2025, followed by a minimum of $12 million annually between 2026 and 2028.” Bringing all of the city’s sidewalks and streets in compliance with ADA would cost $657 million in 2019 dollars, based on a study commissioned by the Department of Transportation.

A 2019 study found that just over 1 percent of Baltimore curb ramps were ADA-compliant, and the city had 3,000 miles of non-compliant sidewalks. The city has pledged to install 533 curb ramps by June 30, 2025 and fix or install more than 2,000 more in the next three years. 

According to Reutter, “The Scott administration further promises to appoint an ADA coordinator to implement a sidewalk inspection program, establish a maintenance program to clear vegetation and clutter on sidewalks ‘on an annual basis’ and communicate with the public about the importance of accessibility on public rights of way.”