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DOT to adopt PROWAG standards, dedicates multi‑year funding for ADA curb ramps and proposes community pilot
Summary
DOT told the council it will move toward the PROWAG public‑right‑of‑way accessibility guidelines in future curb‑ramp work, deploy $12 million per year across FY‑26–28 for ADA improvements, and develop a draft plan by August for a community‑supported pilot to align curb‑ramp construction with neighborhood place‑making projects.
Baltimore DOT described plans to adopt PROWAG (Public Right‑of‑Way Accessibility Guidelines) standards for curb ramps and to program multi‑year funds for ADA improvements that DOT officials said will be split between curb ramps and sidewalk reconstructions.
Director Veronica Macbeth and council members discussed recent ramp work: Macbeth said the agency built nearly 400 ADA‑compliant curb ramps in 2024 and about 150 so far in 2025, and that DOT intends to move more projects to PROWAG standards for improved alignment between ramps and crosswalks.
Why it matters: Council members and DOT agreed that curb ramps affect people with disabilities, caregivers and families and that inconsistent or diagonally placed ramps can create accessibility problems. DOT said some projects already in pipeline reflect older design choices and cannot be changed without redesign costs, but that new designs will use PROWAG.
Funding and proposed pilot: - DOT told the committee it has about $12,000,000 per year programmed for fiscal 2026–28 (total ~$36 million) for ADA work. DOT noted a 65/35 split requirement in work planning between curb ramps and sidewalk reconstruction under the consent‑decree guidelines it cited. - Councilman sought a pilot policy to allow community‑led placemaking projects to access a portion of ADA funds to cover required curb‑ramp or sidewalk work (so local groups could contribute streetscape elements without bearing the full cost of inaccessible ramps). DOT agreed to draft a memo/plan and return with a proposed approach by August.
Ending: DOT committed to wider PROWAG adoption in new designs, to pursue a community support pilot for ADA work, and to provide a draft plan to council offices by August for review.
