CSX Closes Howard Street Tunnel Ahead of Reconstruction (UPDATED 2/5)
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Courtesy of CSX via YouTube
BALTIMORE - CSX closes the 125-year-old Howard Street Tunnel for reconstruction.
The Class I stated via LinkedIn the closure of the tunnel marks a “major milestone” toward its efforts in modernizing the I-95 Rail Corridor. The tunnel originally opened in the late 1800s.
The Howard Street Tunnel Project will allow for double-stack intermodal service and strengthen connections from Port of Baltimore to Midwest markets. CSX’s efforts to modernize the 8,700-foot-long tunnel seeks to both increase the vertical clearance as well as address 22 obstructions along the corridor. It will connect the Seagirt Marine Terminal Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Baltimore with distribution hubs more efficiently. This work involves CSX, The U.S. Department of Transportation, the state of Maryland, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, among others.
CSX chief engineer of bridge design and construction Ed Sparks said, “This is a tremendous opportunity to alleviate a restriction on our network and open up new opportunities for CSX. . . We’re starting something big today.”
CSX senior director of Mid-Atlantic construction Brandon Knapp said, “It strengthens the Port of Baltimore’s competitiveness with other East Coast ports. . . This project benefits CSX while also boosting the region’s economy.” Knapp continued, stating that transportation, engineering, sales, and marketing teams have all contributed to advancing the project.
CSX executive vice president and chief operating officer Mike Cory said, “We have a lot of people on this property, not all of them CSX employees, but we’re all one team. . . We want this to be a completely injury- and accident-free project. It’s important to work safely, work smart, and look out for one another.”
The project is slated for completion in the latter half of 2025.
