Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative
Look across the water. Witness progress on the equity framework laid out in the Reimagine Middle Branch Plan to protect and connect the shoreline.
The Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative (MBRI) is Maryland’s largest coastal resilience initiative, dedicated to restoring 50+ acres of habitat along 11 miles of shoreline. During the development of the Reimagine Middle Branch Plan, communities called for environmental justice including better access to nature and more protection from flooding and storm damage.
Please see construction & design status below.
Using nature-based resilience solutions, MBRI supports environmental justice goals by:
Enhancing South Baltimore communities’ resilience and protecting critical infrastructure from coastal flooding, intense storm events, erosion, and sea level rise
Improving public access to our city’s waterfront—including greenspace/water recreation and fishing—by restoring wetland habitat diversity and improving water quality
Concurrent, ongoing shoreline clean-up and maintenance efforts enhance the work of two Trash Wheels in removing debris from the Middle Branch, partnering with these wetland restoration efforts.
You can learn more about how MBRI aims to protect and connect the shoreline as outlined in Chapter 2 of the Reimagine Middle Branch Plan's Design Vision.
Construction & DESIGN Status:
We’re making great progress on the first MBRI site to reach construction: the Hanover Street Wetlands.
Construction begins in spring 2025 on Patapsco Delta East—the parcel of land between Hanover and Potee Streets adjacent to the Hanover Street Wetlands in Brooklyn.
Both sites are anticipated to complete construction in 2025.
Expected impacts include:
New sight lines to the waterfront through removal of invasive species
Construction equipment noise and dump truck material deliveries between 7:00am and 3:00pm, Monday - Friday
No disruption to utilities (water, sewer, power, or internet) nor traffic modifications.
We have an exciting array of additional MBRI sites under design throughout the area:
MedStar Harbor Hospital Wetlands: Anticipated 2025
BGE Resiliency Site: Design underway
Smith Cove Resiliency and Stormwater Management Site: Design underway
Questions about MBRI? Connect with us: info@reimaginmb.com
Thank you to the Patapsco Delta East Project funder:
Hanover Street Wetlands launch: April 19, 2024
Check out the video of the event below and read about the event on SBGP’s website.
We were thrilled to celebrate the official launch of MBRI with the start of construction on the first site, the Hanover Street Wetlands! We were joined by Federal, State, and local elected and appointed officials, community leaders, representatives of governmental agencies, and the leadership of BGE and MedStar Harbor Hospital to celebrate this monumental project as part of Reimagine Middle Branch. We’re looking forward to continued celebrations as future phases begin!
The Hanover Street Wetlands, approximately 10 acres, is the first MBRI living shoreline section to commence construction, representing one of many steps toward fulfilling Reimagine Middle Branch’s commitment to fostering equity by protecting and connecting South Baltimore’s shoreline and communities. This work is fully funded; community outreach launched in 2023 with construction commencing in 2024 and anticipation completion of the Hanover Street Wetlands in 2025.
Construction of the Hanover Street Wetlands section is made possible through funding from Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Maryland’s Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund and Bay Restoration Fund. Additional funding from FEMA’s BRIC program, Maryland Department of Emergency Management, Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore County, and others has been secured for future phases of MBRI.
Thank you to the Hanover Street Wetlands funders:
Chesapeake Stormwater Network webinar: March 4, 2024
Check out the presentation about Reimagine Middle Branch and MBRI.
Community Information Session: September 13, 2023
MBRI in the News:
BAY JOURNAL — FEBRUARY 26, 2025
Wetlands to return to Baltimore’s ‘forgotten waterfront’
THE BALTIMORE SUN — FEBRUARY 8, 2025
Charred logs from Camp Small fire will help restore Patapsco wetlands
INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS — SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
Baltimore Is Investing in Wetlands Restoration, a Climate Line of Defense
SOUTHBMORE.COM — AUGUST 5, 2024
Wetland restoration project opening new views in Brooklyn
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES — JUNE 3, 2024
Baltimore Project Brings Together Environmental Resilience and Community Development
WYPR 88.1 FM BALTIMORE — APRIL 19, 2024
Restored wetlands could help protect neglected South Baltimore communities
WBALTV11/NBC — APRIL 19, 2024
Middle Branch project launches, will add boardwalk, public trails
WMAR/ABC Baltimore — APRIL 19, 2024
More wetlands are coming to Baltimore
WBOC/CBS DELMARVA — DECEMBER 18, 2023
Maryland Coastal Restoration Resilience Projects to Receive Nearly $13 Million
WJZ/CBS BALTIMORE — DECEMBER 6, 2023
‘Nuisance Flooding’ impacts South Baltimore communities as sea levels continue to rise
BALTIMORE MAGAZINE — APRIL 4, 2023
The Middle Branch is in the Midst of a Shoreline Renaissance
SOUTHBMORE.COM — OCT. 13, 2022
Reimagine Middle Branch Project Receives $47.7 Million in Grants
THE BALTIMORE BANNER — OCT. 7, 2022
Middle Branch preservation and redevelopment project kicks off with $48 million in grants
BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL — OCT. 7, 2022
Baltimore’s Middle Branch receives $47.7M in grants in wetlands project to kick off larger redevelopment
WYPR 88.1 FM — OCT. 10, 2022
Major South Baltimore Restoration environmental restoration project to combat flooding
THE BALTIMORE SUN — SEP. 30, 2021
A multimillion-dollar project to prevent South Baltimore flooding could help prove new strategies in climate resiliency
MBRI Project Partners:
Reimagine Middle Branch, a community-driven initiative, is led by the City of Baltimore, South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, and Parks & People, working alongside a team of expert consultants, stakeholders, and Baltimoreans.