Thursday, February 04, 2010
Maryland Awarded Funding for Transportation Projects
Maryland has been awarded $69.4 million for high-speed rail projects in the Baltimore-Washington corridor through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding will help create jobs and improve transit in one of the busiest sections of highways and railways in the country.
The funding includes a grant for the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel replacement, which would fund the replacement of an 1870s-era passenger rail tunnel to improve safety and capacity on the main line linking Washington, D.C., and Baltimore with New York City and Boston. It also includes a grant for BWI station platform and track redevelopment, which would fund construction of a new rail station building, platforms and pedestrian access improvements at the BWI Marshall Airport.
Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin announced the funding Monday.
“This is exactly what stimulus money should be used for – to create jobs, keep people safe, and provide value for the taxpayer dollar,” Senator Mikulski said. “This funding will help speed up upgrades to the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel and the BWI MARC/Amtrak Station. This investment today will pay dividends down the road, by keeping Marylanders safe and on the move, while reducing our reliance on automobiles.”
