Several groups are joining forces with the goal of making Baltimore streets safer and more attractive.
Local designers, engineers, neighbors, and the State of Maryland are teaming up to improve transit access and pedestrian safety at West North Avenue’s busy intersections with McCulloh Street and Druid Hill Avenue. Graham Projects, the West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA), and Open Works Baltimore are collaborating on feedback, budgets, and public art designs to enhance the streetscape.
“Over the past several months our team and Open Works have completed a lot of rewarding work along North Avenue at Druid Hill and McCulloh,” said Graham Coreil-Allen, owner of Graham Projects. “These placemaking and public art upgrades improve pedestrian safety, increase bus accessibility, and beautify the block with a community-inspired street mural designed and installed in collaboration artist JaVon Townsend.”
Many improvements have already been implemented. Three 40-foot, wheelchair-accessible bus platforms have been made and installed along the corridor. They are in daily use and have been praised by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). Six large and colorfully painted concrete blocks have been placed to protect each bus platform. Three pervious, wheelchair-accessible rubber tree pits have been installed near North and Druid Hill Avenues. They are designed to reduce weeds, improve drainage, and allow wheelchair access across the sidewalk.
These changes, along with traffic-calming bump-outs, high-visibility crosswalks, a traffic-calming mural, and planters placed along the corridor have been the result of stakeholder actions. A solar Wi-Fi station is expected to be installed in front of Archway Park by early September, and traffic-calming and crosswalk murals at Druid Hill Avenue had to be rescheduled for spring 2026 because of Baltimore City Department of Transportation resurfacing work.
“This project is about both safe access to public transportation and increasing driver awareness of pedestrian walkways,” said Zack Adams, manager at Open Works. “We have Safer Streets, and a beautiful addition to the neighborhood in one package. It was incredibly rewarding to see the Community’s input to the artwork realized on the roadways!”
Once Baltimore City Department of Transportation finishes resurfacing Druid Hill Avenue next spring, Graham Projects expects to install the second traffic-calming installation and pavement art project at North and Druid Hill Avenues.
“This work is about more than paint and platforms,” said Chad Williams, executive director of WNADA. “It’s about making West North Avenue safer, more welcoming, and accessible for everyone—whether you’re walking, riding a bus, or rolling in a wheelchair.”
