State Gets Funding for New Train Bridge over Susquehanna River

A Havre de Grace landmark might soon be demolished in favor of a newer version.

The century-old Amtrak bridge that crosses the Susquehanna River might soon be replaced, according to The Sun. The $22 million will be used toward engineering and environmental studies on the bridge.

The grant is part of $795 million earmarked to increase travel speeds in the northeast corridor. Maryland was awarded high speed rail funding after Florida turned down more than $2 billion in federal money.

“When Florida’s Governor turned his back on the federal high speed rail dollars, Maryland moved quickly to make our case to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood,” Governor Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “We demonstrated that making improvements here in Maryland, at the heart of the busy Northeast corridor, will have a positive impact in our state and on the entire rail infrastructure that runs along the east coast. We applaud President Obama for his support of High Speed Rail and the Northeast Corridor in particular.”

According to the Department of Transportation, the bridge "currently causes frequent delays for commuters due to the high volume of critical maintenance."

The existing bridge was opened in 1906 and carries more than 100 trains—Amtrak, MARC and freight trains—each weekday. Both Amtrak and MARC project that number to double in the next two decades.

The bridge carries two tracks capable of handling max speeds of 90 miles per hour. Much of the northeast corridor is built three or four tracks wide. The new bridge will accommodate up to four tracks capable of operating speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.

The total cost of the bridge replacement has not been determined, but preliminary estimates set the project at more than $800 million—with future funding to be acquired.

Maryland also applied for funding to begin studies on two additional Penn Line bridges over the Bush and Gunpowder rivers, and a request for nearly $300 million to complete improvements to the BWI Amtrak/MARC station was made.

“We welcome the federal dollars to begin the Susquehanna bridge project and we understand that there is more work to be done,” Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley said in a statement. “Obtaining the large amounts of funding needed for major projects is a process. We will continue to be aggressive in our pursuit of additional federal dollars for rail priorities that we believe will improve service here in Maryland and along the Northeast Corridor.”

The bridge over the Susquehanna consists of 18 steel spans—including a swing span in the middle—with stone piers. It replaced another railroad bridge to the south—the stone piers of which remain in place across the Susquehanna River.

On the Havre de Grace side, the bridge is flanked by two riverside parks—the  to the north, and the to the south. The bridge carries traffic over the main entryway into the downtown district of Havre de Grace—where Otsego and Water streets meet the tree-lined Union Avenue.