BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, March 14, 2024) – Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott joined multiple city officials to call on the House to restore the damaging cuts to Baltimore City’s Highway User Revenue (HUR) that were approved by the Maryland State Senate yesterday. If not reversed, the $60 million per year cuts for FY26 and FY27 would have a significant impact on Baltimore’s ability to care for roadways and transportation infrastructure across the city. 

Mayor Scott was joined by Baltimore City Department of Transportation Director Corren Johnson, Director of Infrastructure Development Matt Garbark, Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton, Councilman Tony Glover, Councilman Zeke Cohen, Councilwoman Odette Ramos, Councilman Ryan Dorsey, business leaders, and transportation advocates.

“Enough is enough, Baltimore City has borne the brunt of cuts to Highway User Revenue for too long, and the residents of our city cannot afford anymore,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The cuts passed by the State Senate yesterday translates to real road miles that won’t be paved, real projects that won’t be built, real fiscal impacts for our city, and real quality of life issues plaguing our city. The House must step up to prevent these cuts from going into effect.”

"Senate Bill 362 will result in 170 lane miles that will not be resurfaced due to HUR funding cuts," said Corren Johnson, Director of the Baltimore City Department of Transportation. “These are roads in need of urgent repair, and If you had to walk a mile in our shoes or 170 to get to school, your place of employment, or to reach much-needed services and opportunities, you would understand why immediate reinstatement of HUR funds is imperative for Baltimore City.” 

“As a lifelong Baltimorean, I know what it's like to rely on public transit to get back and forth to school, work, and other activities,” said Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby. “Many working class residents will be hampered by less reliable transit options due to reduced transportation funding overall and limited Baltimore road improvements due to slashed HUR funding. There is no easy win and no easy choice in this process. I urge my former colleagues in Annapolis to reconsider this decision.”

“Everywhere else in Maryland, the State Highway Administration is responsible for repaving streets, except in Baltimore City, where the State has always provided the City with a chunk of Highway User Revenue so that we can do it for ourselves,” said Baltimore City Comptroller Bill Henry. “What they’re proposing now isn’t quite the same as telling us to make more bricks with less straw, but it’s pretty darn close.”