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Amtrak selected the joint venture of Kiewit and JF Shea Construction build the Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore, the rail agency announced in a February 6 press release. It is the second of three major components of a $6 billion program to replace the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel.
Omaha, Neb.-based Kiewit and Walnut, Calif.-based JF Shea will deliver the pair of rail tunnels using a construction manager-at-risk delivery method, according to the release.
The aging B&P Tunnel has experienced excessive water infiltration and soil subsidence, and is the largest bottleneck between Washington, DC and New Jersey. The tracks that run through the 1.4-mile-long tunnel under several Baltimore neighborhoods are based on a single structure, so there is no detour option if it has to be closed.
The Frederick Douglass Tunnel will largely replace the B&P Tunnel and is designed to speed passenger and freight movement on the Northeast Corridor. The new tunnel will have two high-capacity single-track tubes that will allow Amtrak and MARC electric trains to travel up to 100 mph. Trains are currently limited to 30 mph due to the tight curves of the B&P Tunnel.
“We are one step closer to unlocking the largest passenger rail bottleneck in the Northeast Corridor between Washington, DC and New Jersey,” Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason said in the communicated
Funding for the work is being split between the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak and Maryland. The project got an infusion of up to 4.7 billion dollars funding from the Federal Employment and Infrastructure Investment Act in November 2023.
Amtrak previously selected a Clark Construction/Stacy and Witbeck joint venture build the southern part of the project. Bethesda, Md.-based Clark Construction and Alameda, Calif.-based Stacy Witbeck will deliver this $1 billion-plus phase using a construction manager risk delivery method.
There is still one more major construction contract pending: the tunnel equipment, which includes the tunnel track, ventilation systems and facilities. Details of future procurement have not yet been announced, but award is expected in 2025 or 2026.
Construction of the tunnel is scheduled to begin in 2026 and the project is expected to be completed by 2035.
