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Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) awarded Clark Construction Group, LLC a $16 million contract to build sections seven and eight of the Light Rail Double Track Project, which will add a second track to a heavily traveled section of the Baltimore Light Rail System.
Clark’s portion of MTA’s $150 million double track program includes converting 1.8 miles of single track to double track from the Linthicum to Cromwell stations and BWI spur. Over 40 percent of the system is single-tracked, which presents operational constraints, causing trains to be delayed while waiting for passage of oncoming trains or during routine maintenance, rendering certain sections impassable. The double tracks will provide commuters more frequent service, accommodate more passengers and improve the reliability, flexibility and safety of the system. The project also will allow for more efficient maintenance of the system. In addition, Clark will build a second platform at the Linthicum and Cromwell stations to accommodate passengers at the second track.
Baltimore’s 29-mile Light Rail System serves more than 30,000 travelers daily. It provides vital public transportation stops to business districts within the Baltimore Metro area, MARC and AMTRAK train service at Penn Station, and BWI Airport.
A joint venture of Johnson, Mirmiram & Thompson and Parsons Transportation Group, both of Baltimore, designed the project. A joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services Inc., Rummel, Klepper & Kahl LLP and Wallace, Montgomery & Associates, LLP is serving as construction manager.
Eighty percent of the funding for this project is secured through federal funds, with the balance coming from the Maryland Department of Transportation.
“This is great news for commuters in Baltimore and Washington,” said Senator Barbara Mikulski, who worked with Senator Paul Sarbanes to secure federal funding for the project. “I am proud to help expand public transportation and provide an easy, safe, and efficient way for workers and tourists to move throughout the region.”
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