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The Fort McHenry Tunnel is one of two tunnels that carry traffic underneath Baltimore Harbor. It is named for Fort McHenry, which it passes underneath.
The tunnel, opened on November 23, 1985, was the final link in the Northeast corridor’s most important interstate route, Interstate 95, between Maine and Florida. It also is the largest underwater highway tunnel and the widest vehicular tunnel ever built by the immersed-tube method. At the time of its opening it was the most expensive underwater tunnel project in the United States, but has since been surpassed by The Big Dig project in Boston. The tunnel is one of seven toll facilities operated and maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority.
The current toll rate for cars is $2.00, paid in both directions. The tunnel has several dedicated E-ZPass lanes in its toll plaza in both the northbound and southbound directions.
Background
Original plans called for an eight-lane bridge across the Baltimore Harbor to complete the final segment of Interstate 95 in Maryland. However, it was determined that a bridge would have had a negative environmental and aesthetic impact on the nearby National Monument and Historic Site at Fort McHenry and the neighboring residential communities of Locust Point and Fells Point. A 1.7-mile (2.7 km) tunnel was proposed as an alternative. The tunnel extends from the Locust Point peninsula, passes south of Fort McHenry under the harbor navigational channel and rises to grade in the Canton industrial area of Southeast Baltimore. The toll plaza is located on the Canton side, north of the harbor.
The alignment near Fort McHenry and below the shipping channel required the design of the world’s first tunnel sections that curved both vertically and horizontally. The tunnel sections were manufactured in Port Deposit, Maryland and were floated to the site using tugboats.
The tunnel was built using the open-trench method, in which prefabricated tunnel sections were sunk in a trench dredged in the harbor’s bottom, and the sections were joined underwater. A dredge-disposal site for materials removed from the tunnel trench was created at the nearby Port of Baltimore Seagirt Marine Terminal, resulting in 136 acres (55 ha) of usable new land. The Tunnel was opened on time and under budget, and continues to be a vital transportation link in the Mid Atlantic region.
Fast facts
- Construction Dates: June 1980 - November 1985
- Cost: $750 million
- Annual Traffic: 44.1-million vehicles (2003)
- Daily Traffic: approx 115,000 vehicles
Sources: Maryland Transportation Authority
See also
External links
Transportation in Baltimore | Tunnels in Maryland | Toll roads in Maryland | Tolled sections of Interstate Highways | Interstate 95
"Fort McHenry Tunnel"