National engineering firm will serve as the program and construction manager for Howard Street Tunnel Clearance Program

STV, an engineering, architectural, planning and program and construction management services, partnered with Michael Baker International, announced that it was selected by CSX Transportation (CSX) to provide program management and construction management services for its $466 million Howard Street Tunnel Clearance Program.

The Howard Street Tunnel is a pivotal freight corridor improvement initiative that will expand freight delivery capacity between Baltimore and Philadelphia. STV will provide pre-construction services in the form of 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 STV team will also manage the construction of all 10 packages within the clearance program over the next four years.

“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.”

The project – a long-identified goal for the region – will increase clearances along the nearly 100-mile freight corridor between Baltimore and Philadelphia, including within the 1.7-mile-long tunnel under Baltimore. This work will facilitate double-stack freight service and significantly enhance CSX’s capacity to transport goods along the East Coast.

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.