Amtrak Removes Final Pier Remnants for Susquehanna River Bridge Project
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Susquehanna River Bridge rendering
Courtesy of Amtrak
PERRYVILLE, Md. - Amtrak has removed the 10th and final remnant pier from the river, completing another construction milestone for the Susquehanna River Bridge Project.
According to the release from Amtrak, this is one of the last few steps before major construction begins. Crews will construct two new bridges with four total tracks to replace the current two-track bridge. The bridge serves 110 daily Amtrak, MARC commuter rail, and freight trains.
In November, contractor Fay Construction began demolition earlier this year and removed 10 leftover piers. The federal environmental review process identified the removal of the pier remnants as an important and necessary step of the project. Amtrak states the work was done in adherence to State and Federally regulated time-of-year restrictions, protecting aquatic plants and wildlife.”
These had remained from “a nearby 1866 railroad bridge that had its superstructure removed several decades ago.” However, Amtrak salvaged some original stones from a few of the piers. One such save is a stone block with an 1877 date engraving that commemorates the upgrades made to the 1866 structure. Amtrak states these stones (made from locally source granite at the Port Deposite quarry) were delivered to Havre de Grace and Perryville at their request.
Below is a gallery of Amtrak images of the work to remove said pier remnants.
