By lyndamyer
Following a year-long competitive procurement, the rail company has selected the Clark Construction/Stacy and Witbeck Joint Venture for the Southern Approach construction package and Amtrak has granted the first of three major contracts for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program.
“This award represents the culmination of years of hard work to deliver significant long-term improvements right in the heart of a vital segment of the Northeast Corridor,” said Amtrak executive vice-president, capital delivery Laura Mason.
Being funded in part by federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, along with contributions from Amtrak and the State of Maryland, the total investment for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel is expected to be around US$6bn (€5.58n).
The Southern Approach Package (Package B) is being delivered using a Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) delivery method and the contract includes:
- building a new ADA-accessible West Baltimore MARC Station
- constructing the southern approach from south of the West Baltimore Station area and extending north to the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel south portal
- replacing multiple railroad undergrade bridges
- replacing the Edmondson Ave and W Lafayette Ave bridges
- relocating and realigning various utilities
Two local small business enterprises KK Adams and Delaware Cornerstone Builders, that are due to complete supplemental preconstruction activities ahead of major construction, have received separate contracts.
Additionally, construction contracts for other portions of the project are being procured separately, such as Package A, that includes Frederick Douglass Tunnel construction and is in procurement and is slated to be awarded later this year, whereas Procurement for Package C is for Tunnel Fit Out and is yet to commence.
In order to transforming the Northeast Corridor in West Baltimore and unlock the largest rail bottleneck between Washington, DC and New Jersey, Amtrak continues to advance design, property acquisitions, and preparations for other smaller construction projects associated with the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program.
As the program progresses, these major construction contracts will support and complement other work Amtrak is undertaking. The first project, completed this summer, included replacing aging wooden ties with new concrete ties, installing new rail and completing track drainage improvements, which improved ride quality, increased track speed and will minimize the impact of future construction activities on operations.
As the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program, this project will modernize and transform a 6.4km (four mile) section of the Northeast Corridor and it comprises of the construction of two new high-capacity tubes for electrified passenger trains, new roadway and railroad bridges, new rail systems and track, and a new station at West Baltimore.
Linking Baltimore’s Penn Station to Washington and Virginia, the existing 2.25km (1.4-mile) B&P Tunnel is almost 150 years old and Amtrak’s oldest tunnel. It suffers from a variety of age-related issues such as excessive water infiltration, a deteriorating structure, and a sinking floor. There are no fire and life safety systems and excessive costly maintenance is required. The state of the tunnel means more than 10% of weekday trains are delayed.
