Towson Circulator Gets $1.65 Million Federal Grant

TOWSON, MD — The Towson Circulator project has received a $1.65 million federal grant. Money will help Baltimore County purchase buses for its pilot program and create infrastructure to support it.

"The Towson Circulator will be a critical project that will better connect residents between where they live, work, study and play," County Executive Johnny Olszewski said in a statement. He called it a "first-of-its-kind integrated transportation project in Baltimore County." The county executive asked the congressional delegation to advocate for funding for the project, which is still in the planning phases.

Helping to secure the $1.65 million grant were U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen as well as Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, Baltimore County officials said.

The Federal Transit Administration is providing the money through its Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.

Related:

• Plans For Towson Circulator Turn A Corner
• Transportation Survey Open For Baltimore County Residents

In the Baltimore-Washington area, the word "circulator" has been associated with low-cost or free shuttles that take people to key areas.

The D.C. Circulator travels around the District of Columbia, stopping at its main attractions. It costs $1. The Charm City Circulator operates a free shuttle in Baltimore that travels along four routes: City Hall to Fells Point to Johns Hopkins; 33rd Street to Federal Hill; Hollins Market to Harbor East; and the Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry.

There are 830,000 people living in Baltimore County. In Baltimore, there are nearly 620,000.

"People would be surprised to learn how many people in Baltimore County rely upon public transportation to get to and from work, play, child care, school," Olszewski said.

A pilot Towson Circulator could serve as a model for other commercial corridors in the county, Olszewski said in a September episode of "The County" podcast, which focused on Baltimore County's transportation system.

"How do we take better advantage of the incredible investments being made in Towson?" he asked. The key, he said, was connecting people with their workplaces, stating: "We are pulling together the six largest institutions with employee bases, and we're working to create and stand up a Towson Circulator project."

He did not say how many people were using public transportation or specifically how many were in Towson, and the podcast noted that the Maryland Transit Administration runs the bus system and light rail that serve the area.

To bring the issue in-house, Olszewski's administration named its first transportation planner. It is in the process of hiring a deputy in the Department of Public Works to oversee transportation efforts and strategy as well.

The FY 2020 Baltimore County budget included $100,000 for "transportation & alignment studies/site acquisition" to begin planning the pilot program in Towson, which will supplement the new grant from the federal government.

"With little room for new roads, a Circulator is essential to improving mobility in Downtown Towson," Councilman David Marks, who represents Towson, said in a statement. "I thank County Executive Olszewski and our federal partners for their support of this initiative."

For now, the county is in the middle of the planning process, according to Baltimore County Press Secretary Sean Naron. It has "initiated an update" of the 2015 study commissioned by the Greater Towson Committee that will outline phases and updates for the project. Naron said the program is expected by the end of 2020.