By rosebell
In order to clearancing restrictions for double-stack trains along its Baltimore-Philadelphia corridor, the US$450m Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel project is key to rail freight transport company CSX’s capital improvement initiative and its modernisation work is substantially complete, ahead of schedule.
The responsibility of delivering thus work is up to a joint venture of Skanska and Fay, S&B USA Construction.
The collaboration between Skanska-Fay JV and CSX, lead designer Hatch, and local engineering firm WRA was done to increase the 2,652m-long brick-and-stone arch tunnel’s clearance by 600mm, from 5.8m to 6.4m, without damaging the original 1895 archway. With the aim of forming the new floor, they demolished and dug the original floor using specialised equipment including a custom-built railcar-mounted gantry crane to move and set nearly 1,200 precast concrete invert slabs, each measuring 5.4-5.8m across.
Benefiting a progressive design-build delivery method, the project team intends to complete the modernisation faster, that offered flexibility to optimise the design, reduce costs, as well as shorten the construction schedule. It also allowed the JV and its engineering partners to test and refine their plan for lowering the tunnel floor while construction was under way.
During a seven-and-a-half month period of working a 24/7 schedule, Skanska-Fay crews completed all substantial work by mid-September.
According to Fay president Ryan Surrena: “The progressive design-build method and the Skanska-Fay team’s deep experience in successfully delivering large-scale design-build projects were key to this project’s success. Even after beginning construction, the JV crews encountered challenges that required us to be nimble and adapt new approaches and methods. The teamwork between Skanska and Fay, and the ingenuity brought by Hatch and WRA, turned a 130-year-old structure into a modern success story.”
“Delivering the complex project ahead of schedule demonstrated what was possible when engineering expertise meets strategic vision,” said Skanska SVP and general manager Keith Chouinard.
Improving freight rail efficiency and capacity along the Mid-Atlantic corridor and to Midwest destinations, improving supply chain efficiency for shippers, including through the Port of Baltimore, and increasing the lifespan of the tunnel without the cost and interruption of building a new structure, will be the advantages of this improved infrastructure.
The initial scheduled date for completion of this project was August 2027.
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