Amtrak Crossing over Susquehanna

Project Type
Marine Construction
Pile Driving

Client
Amtrak

Location
Amtrak Susquehanna River Crossing
Havre de Grace, MD

Key Challenges & Project Details

• Bridge carries two tracks of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line across the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville, MD
• Approximately 100 Amtrak and MARC passenger trains cross the bridge on weekdays at a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour
• Project required that the bridge remain open to both rail and river traffic at all times for the duration of the project
• Commercial water traffic under the bridge consists of barges from upstream granite quarry
• One of two channels under the bridge closed due to destruction of fender system by barge strike
• North and south bound rock barges were obliged to share the single open channel
• Project consisted of removal/replacement of portions of the fender system to reopen the closed channel
• Required floating plant to service this project
• Two crane barges moved into place and spuded into the river bottom
• Divers were brought on site to help locate and avoid ATT subaqueous fiber optic line running adjacent to the bridge on the river bottom
• Project required removal of all timber fender piles, walers, and bracing
• Project required drilling three caissons 10 feet below rock elevation in the river bottom to contain the 48 inch steel pipe piles necessary to support new fender system
• Project completed without disruptions to rail, river, or communications traffic
• Project completed with no recordable or lost time injuries