Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge
Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge | ||
---|---|---|
tracks 2 | | |
Track gauge | Standard | |
History | ||
Constructed by | Pennsylvania Steel Company and American Bridge Company | |
Opened | May 29, 1906[3] | |
Statistics | ||
Daily traffic | Over 110 passenger and freight trains per day[4] | |
Location | ||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Amtrak_Susquehanna_Bridge_Swing_Span.jpg/240px-Amtrak_Susquehanna_Bridge_Swing_Span.jpg)
The Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge is a Howe deck truss structure, opened in 1906, that carries two tracks of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line across the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland.[5]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Maryland_-_Havre_de_Grace_-_NARA_-_23941103_%28cropped%29.jpg/240px-Maryland_-_Havre_de_Grace_-_NARA_-_23941103_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The vicinity of the bridge has been used as a river crossing for more than 300 years. In 1695, the colonial General Assembly granted the first licenses to operate a ferry between Perryville and what is now Havre de Grace. In 1837, railroad lines south from Wilmington, Delaware, and north from Baltimore arrived at the riverbanks. For 29 years, including the duration of the American Civil War, a train ferry carried passengers (on foot) and freight cars between the two towns. In 1854, a larger ferryboat began to transport entire passenger cars across the river.[1]: 37–40, 111
In 1866, after 12 years of intermittent construction, the
In 1904-06, the PRR replaced the PW&B crossing with a new bridge just a few yards upstream.
Ownership of the bridge passed to Amtrak in 1976 when it acquired much of the Northeast Corridor infrastructure.[7]
Present status
As of 2006, about 100 Amtrak and
The only significant commercial water traffic under the bridge consists of barges from a large granite quarry just upstream of Havre de Grace.[9]: 233 The bridge's swing span rarely needs to be opened; vessels that require such an opening must provide 24-hour advance notice.[1]: 125
In 2005 and 2007, Amtrak replaced the
Replacement
Preparations to replace the 1906 bridge began in May 2011, when the
In November 2022, Amtrak announced plans to replace the bridge, with design and construction contracts to be awarded in 2023 by Amtrak, the FRA, and MDOT MTA.[4] In November 2023, Amtrak secured $2.1 billion for the project via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The new bridge will include two 2-track spans and allow speeds up to 125 mph.[15]
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ ISBN 0-934118-28-0.
- ^ a b "Nautical chart for Perryville vicinity". Maptech MapServer. Retrieved December 28, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Baer, Christopher T. "PRR Chronology: 1906" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Weinberg, Harrison (November 18, 2022). "Amtrak Advances Susquehanna River Bridge Project". media.amtrak.com. Amtrak. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Jeremy Steinemann (August 23, 2011). "A 21st Century NEC: The Top Four Failing Bridges that Must Be Replaced". Northeast Alliance for Rail. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
In May 2011, Maryland was awarded a $22 million federal, high-speed rail grant to support initial design and engineering for the Susquehanna Bridge replacement. Priced at $500 million, the bridge is the most expensive to replace in Maryland.
- ^
- ^ Baer, Christopher T. "PRR Chronology: 1976" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ Volin, Rudy (July 6, 2006). "Hot Spots: Perryville and Havre de Grace, Md". TRAINS Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
- ISBN 0-271-02184-5.
- ^ "Capital Investment in Bridge Aims to Improve Reliability" (PDF). Amtrak Ink. March 2007. pp. 1–7. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
- ^ U.S. Department of Transportation (May 9, 2011). "U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $2 Billion for High-Speed Intercity Rail Projects to Grow Jobs, Boost U.S. Manufacturing and Transform Travel in America". Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ Decker, Caroline. "Amtrak Update: CSG-ERC Executive Committee". Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
- ^ "Susquehanna River Rail Bridge Project". Amtrak. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Ready To Build: Susquehanna River Bridge. YouTube.com. Amtrak. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ "Fact Sheet: President Biden Advances Vision for World Class Passenger Rail by Delivering Billions in New Funding". The White House. 2023-11-06. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-06.