WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (all D-Md.) announced $20,000,000 to complete the final design work for the replacement of the 115-year-old Susquehanna River Bridge that serves as the main connector between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland. The Susquehanna River Rail Bridge is a two-track bridge that carries the Northeast Corridor main line including all Amtrak service, MARC commuter trains, and freight. The new bridge will reduce and eliminate train delays, allow increased train speeds, improve train capacity and safety, and improve the navigation channel for mariners.

“Upgrading Maryland’s bridges means shortening Marylanders’ commutes, improving their safety, bolstering reliable freight transportation, and strengthening our supply chains,” said the lawmakers. “This investment is critical to ensuring Marylanders, and the goods they need, get where they need to go safely and on time. We will continue working to deliver federal dollars to update our state’s infrastructure.” 

The lawmakers recently wrote to Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose in support of this grant award. This federal funding is through the Federal State Partnership State of Good Repair Grant Program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). The lawmakers also fought to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which makes available future funding opportunities through the Bridge Formula Program and the Bridge Investment Program for the construction of this bridge, as well as other bridges across the state that are in desperate need of modernization.