President Biden Visits Baltimore Rail Tunnel Project
press release
President Biden met with rail officials managing the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnels on Monday in a push for the long-awaited overhaul of the aging infrastructure of this busy corridor connecting Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Biden was there to champion the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure legislation and the anticipated massive investment in fixing roads and tunnels throughout the United States.
As Biden walked the length of the tunnel last week he said, “There’s great worry that part of it could collapse.”
The project is expected to take roughly a decade and will have two tubes with up to four tracks total, allowing trains to travel at more than 100 mph. The total project including related bridges and equipment modernization is anticipated to cost $6 billion.
The work is expected to pay good wages for union workers in the area and Maryland has committed to investing $450 million toward the construction. According to the Hill, the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel is considered the largest bottleneck for the busy rail corridor between New York City and Washington, D.C.
No money has yet been awarded from the federal infrastructure legislation.
Baltimore is the first of three stops related to infrastructure on President Biden’s agenda this week. On Tuesday he will travel to New York to discuss another new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. On Friday the president travels to Philadelphia where he is expected to focus on replacing lead pipes, another key part of the infrastructure legislation.