ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel project has received final environmental approval, ending years of effort and clearing the way for construction to begin later this year. The project will increase clearances in the 1.4-mile tunnel, completed by the Baltimore & Ohio in 1890, allowing CSX to operate double-stack container trains to the Port of Baltimore.
Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday the project had received a Finding of No Significant Impact under the National Environmental Policy Act. “The Howard Street Tunnel expansion is a major infrastructure project that will significantly increase business for the Port of Baltimore,” Hogan said in a press release. “This project will have a tremendous impact on Maryland’s economy, improve the flow of goods, and generate thousands of jobs in the Baltimore region.”
The project, which also will involve increasing clearances at 22 other locations between Baltimore and Philadelphia, was once estimated to cost as much as $4 billion, but improvements in construction technology have reduced the cost to an estimated $466 million, to be funded by $202.5 million from Maryland, $125 from a federal grant, $113 million from CSX, $22.5 million from Pennsylvania, and $3 million in federal highway funding.
Achieving a funding deal was a long-running effort. At one point, under CEO Hunter Harrison, CSX walked away from the project, sparking protests from Maryland’s congressional delegation [see “Maryland wants explanation for CSX Howard Street Tunnel decision,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 2, 2017]. The railroad reversed field and returned to the project a year later under CEO Jim Foote [see “CSX Transportation commits to Baltimore tunnel clearance project,” News Wire, Dec. 14, 2018], and the state and railroad announced in 2019 they had completed the funding [see “Maryland, CSX say they have funds …,” News Wire, Dec. 6, 2019].
EDWARD DAVID: “MDOT has a detailed list of all of the locations involved in this clearance project.”
ME: Can you provide a link?
I concur Mr. Pins. Shameful that the government’s estimate was off by 10 to the third power. But then, this NEVER happens in other government projects (like in Honolulu, for instance?) Blessings……
4 Billion reduced to 466 million. I’m impressed. That’s quite an improvement in construction technology. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
undercutting the tunnel will be interesting, somehow there will be a hump as one section is lower than another ? How much will each lowering take ? 2 -4 inches at a time ?
Will CSX need active pumps to keep water out. What about high spring tides ?
The cost estimate fell by about 90% due to better construction technology. Such a bold statement deserved an explanation in the article. What was the great technological breakthrough???
Or, was it just a way to silence critics?
MDOT has a detailed list of all of the locations involved in this clearance project.
“The project … will involve increasing clearances at 22 other locations between Baltimore and Philadelphia,”
I’d love to know where those 22 locations are.