RK&K team members joined Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin recently at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Howard Street Tunnel Expansion Project in Baltimore, celebrating the project’s successful planning effort to date.
RK&K’s Planning group played an instrumental role supporting project development of the $466-million project, a joint effort for CSX Transportation, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Federal Railroad Administration.
The group led all cultural resources investigations, including historic architecture, archaeology, identification of potential effects, Section 106 consultation, Section 4(f) analysis, and development of mitigation measures. We also supported development of the NEPA Environmental Assessment, including socioeconomic, environmental justice, air, noise, and natural resources assessments.
The tunnel will complete a critical double-stack rail link for the Port of Baltimore and includes tunnel and bridge clearance improvements between Baltimore and Philadelphia on CSX’s I-95 Corridor.
“Today, as we kick off reconstruction of this Howard Street Tunnel, we are proving once again that investing in infrastructure is critical to our state and national economies and to the lives of everyday Marylanders and Americans,” Governor Hogan said at the event. “This is a continuation of our concerted efforts to make the Port of Baltimore much more competitive with other ports for the extremely sought after containerized cargo market. It is an absolute game-changer, not just for Maryland, but for the entire region.”
