Gov. Hogan Speaks Out About Proposed Howard St. Tunnel Upgrades

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- An ambitious goal for the Port of Baltimore.

Governor Larry Hogan spoke at the Howard Street Tunnel this morning about what he says is the next big step for the port, which has made major investments to handle a new generation of super-sized ships.

The weak point in all of this is the Howard Street Tunnel.

Running under Baltimore, the tunnel is a tight fit. But then, it was built during the Civil War. Today's freight trains need more room.

"This is something we're going to make sure happens," Hogan said while speaking at the port. "It's critically important."

Currently, the Howard Street Tunnel can only handle single-stacked containers on rail cars, while other ports can double stack and move more per train. To stay competitive with other ports, the tunnel must be enlarged to carry double-stacked containers.

"This line represents the I-95 of CSX railroad," says Peter Rahn, Maryland's transportation secretary. "And they have this chokepoint."

CSX says new technology can make an expansion happen at a fraction of the cost of building a new tunnel, by going lower.

"Metal versus wooden ties," CSX executive VP Cindy Sanborn says. "A little bit less of a profile, which allows us to come down."

A new tunnel would cost upwards of $3 billion, but adjusting the existing tunnel would cost just $425 million.

A larger tunnel could eventually lead to more jobs, according to Hogan.

"I mean first of all, just to do the construction, it means 500 jobs or more. But it will have a dramatic impact on jobs here as we increase the production of the port. It's at least 3,000 more jobs with potentially a lot more than that as we ramp up and start bringing more of the larger, bigger ships in carrying more goods."

Right now, over 32 million tons of cargo go through the port, generating $3 billion in wages and $310 million in tax revenue.

CSX and the state have committed $270 million for the project, and both are lobbying for matching federal funds.

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