The Howard Street Tunnel, a 1.7‑mile railroad passage beneath Baltimore, has long been a major clearance bottleneck along CSX’s I‑95 freight corridor between Baltimore and Philadelphia. To unlock capacity for double‑stack service and meet growing freight demands, CSX advanced a major clearance improvement initiative covering the tunnel and 23 additional locations along the route. STV, in partnership with Michael Baker International, is serving as program manager and construction manager to coordinate design, procurement and delivery of this transformational effort.
What challenges is STV addressing?
The corridor’s limited vertical clearance prevents double‑stack container movement, creating operational inefficiencies across one of the East Coast’s most important freight rail lines. Increasing clearances within a century-old tunnel located beneath downtown Baltimore requires careful engineering, stakeholder coordination, and multi-package procurement management. The program is supported by a public‑private partnership involving Maryland, Pennsylvania, FRA and CSX, adding additional oversight and funding alignment challenges.
What solutions did STV deliver?
STV is providing preconstruction services, including design reviews and coordination for eight design-bid-build packages, while also assisting with the procurement and oversight of design-build teams for both the Howard Street Tunnel and North Avenue Bridge projects. STV’s program management role includes schedule control, constructability evaluation, integrated stakeholder coordination and overarching delivery support across all clearance sites.
How does this project benefit the region?
Once complete, the upgraded corridor will support double‑stack freight service, increase capacity by approximately 160,000 containers annually and generate more than 14,000 jobs. The improvements strengthen the regional economy, modernize East Coast freight infrastructure and enhance the resiliency and competitiveness of multimodal goods movement.
Key stats and accolades
- Clearance improvements at 23 locations
- +160,000 annual container capacity
- +14,000 jobs expected
- Public‑private partnership with Maryland, Pennsylvania, FRA and CSX
