Posted on 07/18/25
| News Source: WBAL
Baltimore, MD - July 18, 2025 - Traffic should soon move more smoothly in Baltimore. That’s because the city is working to re-time each light in every neighborhood.
“You may get through certain stretches where you have it synced up and it makes sense, and then you get to spots where you can tell you’re stopping at every single red light along the way,” a Baltimore driver said.
That’s why an effort is underway to help alleviate Baltimore’s stop-and-go traffic.
“Log jam. Stop at a red light to get through to the next red light, over and over again,” a Baltimore driver said.
The city is re-timing each light in order to synchronize them. City DOT says the project is needed due to growth and changing traffic patterns. It covers more than 1,100 traffic signals across the entire city of Baltimore. The goal is to reduce delays and keep people moving. That means biking, walking and of course driving.
“Periodic signal retiming is considered a standard part of maintaining a healthy traffic system, as traffic patterns naturally change over time,” Baltimore City Department of Transportation chief of traffic engineering Clea Baumhofer continued, “In the City of Baltimore, this retiming process has also helped implement and standardize important safety measures such as all red phases, brief moments when all directions have a red light and leading pedestrian intervals, which give pedestrians a head start before turning vehicles get a green light. These updates promote safer walking and driving by encouraging drivers to yield.”
Pedestrian signals will be reworked as well.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic around here. It would be helpful a lot of times, especially when you have Orioles games and things like that. It can be very important,” a Baltimore driver said.
The overhaul started in the spring of 2023 with data collection and analysis before implementation. Baltimore drivers say the work is long overdue.
“Especially if we’re building up. We now have the Peninsula that’s across the water, so of course, people want to do that, then they want to come this way. If the lights are not accurate, then we’re always going to have congestion. And God forbid we have an event at Camden Yards and at the arena, CFG — catastrophe,” Baltimore driver Kimberly Harrison said.
A new website shows progress with an interactive map. So far, South, Central and East Baltimore are complete. Work in North Baltimore is underway, with West and Northwest Baltimore up next.
“Anything to help people navigate the challenges of life is always a good thing to do. So, if that’s what we want to do, make our life better,” Harrison said.
The entire project is set to be completed in 2026.