Bria Witherspoon, a new mom and frequent visitor at Druid Hill Park, is happy she no longer has any obstacles hindering her outside routine.

Her 3- to 7-mile stroll had been disrupted by fencing that blocked off a popular loop around the park’s reservoir in West Baltimore that is often used for biking, running and walking.

“It was terrible,” Witherspoon said while pushing her 3-month-old son Jonathan in a stroller at the park Monday. “It’s been a long time.”

The loop is back open and just in time for the warmer months when a lunchtime walk feels like a treat. The reopening of the loop, though slightly modified, also signals a near-end for the Department of Public Works’ yearslong project at one of the nation’s oldest large public parks.

Carl Barnhill isn’t sure what of the extent of the project, but he’s enjoying that its near completion is easing the way for his solo walks. Barnhill tries to make it out to the 745-acre park — the city’s largest — at least a few times a week.

“I’m 54 and trying to be fit,” he said on one of his many strolls around the loop.

Nearly 20 years ago, the federal government created regulations to require covering or treating open-air sources of drinking water. Baltimore initially launched construction in 2017, but met with delays.

To comply with federal drinking water regulations, the city created a dry area on the western end of the reservoir and placed two underground tanks filled with a combined 46 million gallons of drinking water. During construction, a portion of the full loop‘s path was blocked off. The planned move was designed to protect Baltimore and Baltimore County water from contamination and potential bioterrorism attacks.

Construction isn’t over. A part of the original loop near the buried tanks will remain fenced-off through midsummer, according to the city’s public works department. Further restoration is not expected to impact the modified loop.

Since the reservoir no longer contains drinking water, it will be used for recreation. Baltimore City Recreation and Parks introduced a Druid Lake Vision Plan in 2022 that included a bridge, fishing pier, shorelines, an amphitheater,swimming area, cafe and a boathouse. Last year, a chief of capital development and planning for the city’s parks department estimated the project to cost $60 million to $80 million, and aimed to begin construction in 2026.

For Kim Brown, a visit to the walking loop was enough to come back after at least five years away. Brown on Monday arrived with her two grandsons and walked the reopened loop while playing music from a speaker dangling from her waist.

The park has changed since she was a kid, she said, and she’d like to see renovations fulfill more than recreational wish lists.

“I hope they keep the crime rate down,” she said.