It is a pleasure to be here at Security Square Mall today with Mayor Sheila Dixon to show our support for the Red Line, a mass transit project that is vital to the future of both of our jurisdictions. Baltimore County and Baltimore City stand on the verge of a tremendous opportunity for our entire region - an opportunity to preserve our environment by reducing green house gases and vehicular emissions, and providing better travel options for residents than driving their car; an opportunity to expand our local economy by making the region a more attractive destination for tourism and conventions; an opportunity to make our entire region a better place to live and work. This opportunity is the proposed Red Line from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid in Woodlawn to the Hopkins Medical Center at Bayview. Across the country, many areas have already gotten a head start on Baltimore by building effective and efficient public transit systems. Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Washington D.C. are just a few of the cities that have implemented transit systems that make their regions easier for citizens to live and work, and more attractive for out of town visitors. All of those cities have constructed their transit systems since we built our initial Metro to Owings Mills. When the Baltimore Metro opened in 1983, many of these other cities’ systems were only in the planning phases. Now, they have rail transit systems and we only have two discrete and unconnected lines. Although we have a solid foundation in our two north-south lines, we need to build the east/west line if we are to see the emergence and synergies of an effective rail transit system. In order for the Baltimore region to continue to be the vibrant community that we all want, we must have a reliable and responsive transit network. That is why the Red Line is so important. We cannot move forward as an innovative and forward-thinking community without a world-class public transit system. This is our opportunity, and now is the time to make it a reality. The Red Line will cost approximately $1.6 billion and construction could begin as early as 2012. As a result of this $1.6 billion investment, the Baltimore metropolitan region could receive a return of $3.5 billion. In addition, the Red Line would create 17,000 construction jobs for this project. As President Elect Obama has noted repeatedly, jobs created by public works and infrastructure projects such as the Red Line are going to be an integral part of bringing our nation out of this recession. The Red Line will serve several populous and rapidly growing communities. In 2000, the total population of the Red Line corridor was 210,341, with 7,500 businesses, employing more than 192,000 workers. By providing a more efficient transportation system to those communities and workers, the Red Line will not only support re-development, but also new Transit oriented development. The Red Line will reduce bus transit travel times by 48 percent (or by 39 minutes) from one end of the corridor to the other, and automobile travel costs by 30 to 50 percent on average. More than 42,000 people per day are expected to use the Red Line, resulting in approximately 67,000 fewer daily automobile vehicle miles traveled and a reduction in air pollution of 566 kilograms per day. The Red Line will be part of what President Elect Obama has called “Green Infrastructure” that not only contributes to the health of our environment, but also to our nation’s efforts to become energy independent. But beyond the facts and figures, the simple truth is that the Baltimore metropolitan area deserves a convenient and reliable transit system. As Mayor Dixon has so eloquently said any number of times, this project is not about another building project, but about fostering community. The Red Line will provide the lifestyle and mobility choices that a major metropolitan area needs to offer its residents in the 21st Century. Baltimore County supports the Alternative 4C alignment for the Red Line. This alignment will provide the fastest and best transit service with the least impact on our residential and commercial communities. It will also provide the most secure and convenient transit option for the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the greatest re-development and renaissance opportunities for the Security Square Mall and other potential transit-oriented development sites. Now, it is my pleasure to turn the mike over to a woman who truly understands how important cooperation and partnership are to the success of the Baltimore metropolitan area, the dynamic mayor of the City of Baltimore, Mayor Sheila Dixon.
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