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STV, Michael Baker Land CSX Tunnel Contract

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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A northbound CSX train passing Mount Royal Station after emerging from the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore. Wikipedia/James G. Howes

CSX Transportation has awarded a joint venture of STV and Michael Baker International a program and construction management services contract for its $466 million Howard Street Tunnel Clearance Program.

The Howard Street Tunnel Clearance Program, described as “a pivotal freight corridor improvement initiative that will expand freight delivery capacity between Baltimore and Philadelphia,” will increase clearances along the nearly 100-mile freight corridor including within the 1.7-mile-long tunnel under Baltimore. The work will facilitate doublestack freight service “and significantly enhance CSX’s capacity to transport goods along the East Coast,” STV said.

STV and Michael Baker International will provide pre-construction services—design reviews and coordination for eight design-bid-build packages—as well as assist in the procurement and management of design-build teams for both the Howard Street Tunnel and North Avenue Bridge projects in Baltimore City. The team will also manage the construction of all 10 packages within the clearance program over the next four years.

When complete, the project, which is being funded by a public-private-partnership among the State of Maryland, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Federal Railroad Administration and CSX, is expected to increase freight capacity by about 160,000 containers annually, and generate more than 14,000 jobs for the region.

“The Howard Street Tunnel Clearance Program is a major win for the people of Baltimore and Philadelphia, as well as anyone who relies on the effective transportation of goods throughout the region,” said Ted Coffey, P.E., STV Vice President and Freight Practice Director. “STV and its wealth of knowledge about the design and construction management of rail transportation infrastructure makes us well positioned to serve CSX, a long-standing client of ours.” 

“For decades, STV has had a long-standing presence in Baltimore, providing planning, design and construction and program management services across various market sectors, including commercial development, residential housing, ports and passenger and freight rail,” the company noted. The firm has also provided multidisciplinary services for numerous Class I projects, among them Norfolk Southern’s Heartland Corridor Clearance Improvement Program in the Mid-Atlantic region, and CSX’s Emergency Bridge Repair Program in the Gulf Coast.

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