$6B Baltimore Tunnel Project To Cut Commute Times, Bottlenecks

BALTIMORE, MD — President Joe Biden was in Baltimore on Monday to champion a significant project that will replace the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel and address one of the most significant rail bottlenecks in the northeastern United States.

Speaking to a crowd in Baltimore, Biden said he estimated that he had traveled through the tunnel 1,000 times, fearing for decades it might collapse.

"For years, people talked about fixing this tunnel," Biden told a crowd in Baltimore. "Back in the early '80s, I actually walked into the tunnel with some of the construction workers. ... This is a 150-year-old tunnel. You wonder how in the hell it's still standing."

"With the bipartisan infrastructure law, though, we're finally getting it done," Biden added.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will fund the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel replacement. No money has yet been awarded from the federal legislation; however, the law signed by Biden includes $24 billion for rail improvements along the Northeast Corridor, and up to $4.7 billion could be provided for the Baltimore tunnel, covering the majority of its cost.

The project is expected to generate 30,000 jobs, White House officials said.

The 1.4-mile Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel is the oldest tunnel on the Northeast Corridor, built beneath densely-populated West Baltimore. First opened in 1873 when Ulysses S. Grant was president, the tunnel connected Philadelphia and Washington by rail for the first time. But over time, it became more of a chokepoint than a lifeline.

Currently, the tunnel marks the most significant Northeast Corridor bottleneck between Washington and New Jersey and a single point of failure for the nine million Amtrak and Maryland Area Commuter passengers who rely on it annually, according to the White House.

In other words, there are no possible detours if the aging tunnel were to close unexpectedly.

Once completed roughly a decade from now, the new tunnel is expected to have two tubes, with up to four tracks total, and allow trains to travel more than 100 mph. It will be named after Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery in Maryland and became a prominent abolitionist.

The total project, which includes related bridges and equipment modernization, could cost $6 billion.

Biden said replacing the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel could slash a 60-minute Baltimore-to-Washington commute in half, giving daily riders extra time with family and friends.

During his visit, Biden also announced labor agreements to smooth the tunnel's completion and ensure good wages for union workers, according to the White House.

Maryland has also agreed to commit $450 million for construction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.