ADA Improvements to the West Baltimore MARC Station
Location: Baltimore County, Maryland
Client: Maryland Transit Administration
JMT assisted our client with an investigation of a current
commuter-rail station to meet current ADA requirements and to
prepare for future transit system expansion.
JMT completed a planning study for improvements for the West
Baltimore MARC station platform, based on the current and potential
future needs. One primary consideration was upgrading the
station facilities to meet current ADA requirements, which was
complicated due to limited space and the 25-foot vertical
difference between roadway and platforms. Another study goal
was to identify ways to integrate the station with local bus
service and the Red Line, a new west-east transit line proposed to
pass near the West Baltimore MARC station.
The team developed concepts for several platform locations that
used a variety of potential methods to meet ADA compliancy
including lengthening the platform, retractable platform edges,
mini hi-block station platforms, bridge plates, and full ADA
compliancy along the tangent track to the south of the current
location. Other components included pedestrian access
via a stair/elevator combination as well as a variety of switchback
ramps.
As part of the project activities, the team evaluated ADA
compliance of all pedestrian facilities within a one-half mile
walking radius of the MARC Station and determining the priority
routes to make ADA compliant, and options to ensure a seamless
transfer between the MARC station, the proposed Red Line station
and local bus service.
Throughout the study, JMT coordinated extensively with the MTA
and the City of Baltimore and held meetings with the local
community. The final report documented the wide range
of concepts evaluated, our recommendations, and all planning level
cost estimates. Also included were the environmental
and socio-economic information gathered for the area during the
course of study as well as proposed methods by which the MTA may
receive some LEED® credits for the station.
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