FREDERICK DOUGLASS TUNNEL PROGRAM

The Frederick Douglass Tunnel (Formerly Baltimore & Potomac) Program will revolutionize 10 miles of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (NEC).  The program consists of two new tunnels, approximately two miles long, new roadway and railroad bridges, new rail systems, track and railroad infrastructure, new ADA-accessible West Baltimore MARC station, and modern fire and life safety systems.  The program will replace the existing 1.4-mile-long Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Tunnel in Baltimore, Maryland. The existing tunnel dates to the Civil War era and is more than 150 years old, requiring significant maintenance and repairs to remain functional and safe for rail traffic. The program's centerpiece is the construction of the Fredrick Douglass Tunnel (FDT) named in honor of civil rights leader Frederick Douglass. The tunnel is in soil, mix-face, and rock conditions with eleven cross-passages that will be constructed using the sequential excavation method (SEM). The tunnel will be built utilizing a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and drill and blast excavation method. The project involves the construction of soil nail walls/slopes, soldier pile and lagging walls, modular walls, cast-in-place (CIP) cantilever walls on micro-piles. and drilled shafts.  The program is estimated to cost approximately $6 Billion and is planned to be completed in 2035.