The City of Annapolis is unveiling an enhanced free downtown shuttle service ahead of the rebuild of Hillman Garage. The Hillman Garage will close on May 2, 2022.
The free service, with upgraded buses, new design, increased frequency, and new clearly marked signs to indicate each stop, will connect visitors and residents to parking garages and surface lots along West Street/Calvert Street/Church Circle and Main Street.
Operating seven days a week, the free shuttle will be in service from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. The enhanced free shuttle will be in service beginning April 25.
During peak weekday hours of 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. the service will operate with increased frequency (10 minutes or less).
“Part of our temporary mobility plan while Hillman is being rebuilt is to offer residents convenient ways to park safely, then quickly get downtown,” said City Manager David Jarrell. “The enhanced free shuttle is just one of the ways we are reinforcing that ‘downtown Annapolis is open for business.’”
As part of the enhanced free shuttle service, new signs will be erected to clearly mark shuttle stops, including:
- Park Place Garage
- Knighton Garage
- West Street at Lafayette Street
- West Street at Calvert Street (westbound only)
- Church Circle/Circuit Court
- City Hall
- Main Street at Gorman Street
The signs will also include a QR code so riders can check out where shuttles are located in real time.
The City will also launch an open-air electric trolley to make a close-in loop between Calvert Street, State Circle, Maryland Avenue, Market Space, Main Street, and West Street, accessible from Gotts Garage (25 Calvert Street), Whitmore Garage (37 Clay Street) and Calvert Garage (19 St. Johns St.). The “10-Minute Trolley” can be flagged down at any point along the route.
In late May, on-demand service will begin from mobility partner VIA to and from fixed locations using their proprietary smartphone app.
In addition to the free downtown shuttle, electric trolley, and on-demand VIA option, there are also 1,000 additional public parking spaces at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Annapolis Transit operates the State Shuttle between the stadium and Maryland State House. The fare for a one-way trip on the State Shuttle is $2.
Other downtown parking options will continue to include Dock Street, on-street metered locations (using ParkMobile), and close-in surface lots including Basil, Donner, South Street, and Larkin.
Initial work on the Hillman garage rebuild began April 4 with the garage expected to close to parking on May 2 for the 14-month rebuild.
The City urges local residents and businesses to sign up for the e-newsletters on the new website to stay up-to-date on the latest construction news and for additional parking and travel options.
