Press Release

Cummings Heralds Improvement Of Baltimore Infrastructure

Cummings Heralds Improvement Of Baltimore Infrastructure

Railway bridges in Baltimore will be repaired by CSX with Federal funding assistance provided in part by Congressman.

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Elijah Cummings was pleased Wednesday with the announcement by the Baltimore City Board of Estimates that they had approved a final agreement to rebuild the Fort Avenue and Sinclair Lane bridges over CSX railroad tracks.

The agreement, which has been in the works for several years, will use a formula reached in October 2007 to repair both bridges. CSX will pay 75 percent of the construction costs and 100 percent of the engineering costs on the Fort Avenue bridge. The Sinclair Lane bridge will be paid in the same percentages, after the first $2.3 million is funded through Federal funds secured by Congressman Cummings.

Both bridges, which allow cars to pass over CSX tracks, have been deemed structurally deficient due to their advanced level of deterioration.

“The importance of maintaining our infrastructure cannot be overstated,” said Cummings. “I am very happy to have played even a small part in securing the repair of these bridges, avoiding the tragedy that any failure could bring and ensuring continued mobility in these communities.”

Baltimore City Government announced that construction will begin on the Sinclair Lane bridge in the spring of 2010; work on the Fort Avenue bridge is scheduled for the winter of 2011.

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