In November, Amtrak removed the tenth and final remnant pier for the Susquehanna River Bridge Project in Maryland on schedule and with no safety incidents or lost time.
Demolition began earlier this year on the remnants of a 1866 railroad bridge that posed a safety hazard to boaters along the river. Removal is the first step of a larger project that will replace the more than 100-year-old, two-track Susquehanna River Bridge with a modern structure capable of enabling speeds of up to 160 miles per hour.
Fay Construction, Amtrak’s contractor, salvaged historical stones from a few piers for the city of Havre de Grace and the town of Perryville. These included one block engraved with 1877, the year upgrades were made to the 1866 structure. The blocks are all locally sourced granite from the Port Deposit quarry. Amtrak collaborated with Havre de Grace and Perryville leadership to preserve these pieces of the region’s transportation history and delivered the stones per the municipalities’ request.
The Susquehanna River Bridge is part of the Northeast Corridor, America’s busiest passenger rail corridor, and serves approximately 110 Amtrak trains, Maryland Area Rail Commuter trains, and freight trains daily. The project, now in the final design stage, will expand intercity passenger rail service.