Fort McHenry Tunnel (original) (raw)

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Tunnel in Baltimore

Fort McHenry Tunnel

Southbound tunnel, Bore 2
Overview
Location Baltimore Harbor
Coordinates 39°15′39.2″N 76°34′36.3″W / 39.260889°N 76.576750°W / 39.260889; -76.576750
Route I-95
Start Locust Point
End Canton
Operation
Constructed 1980–1985
Opened November 23, 1985; 38 years ago (1985-11-23)[1]
Owner Maryland Transportation Authority
Traffic Automotive
Character Highway
Toll Passenger cars:$3 Maryland E-ZPass$4 non-Maryland E-ZPass$6 Video toll
Vehicles per day 115,000
Technical
Length 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
No. of lanes 8 lanes in 4 tubes
Operating speed 55 miles per hour (89 km/h)
Lowest elevation 107 feet (33 m) below harbor water surface
Tunnel clearance 13.6 feet (4.1 m)
Width 26 feet (7.9 m)
Route map
Map

The Fort McHenry Tunnel is a four-tube, bi-directional tunnel that carries traffic on Interstate 95 (I-95) underneath the Baltimore Harbor. Named for nearby Fort McHenry, the tunnel is the lowest point in the Interstate Highway System under water.[2]

Construction began in May 1980; the tunnel opened on November 23, 1985. Having consumed some 750million(equivalentto750 million (equivalent to 750million(equivalentto2.1 billion in 2023), it was the most expensive Interstate project until surpassed by the Big Dig in Boston.[3] As of 2009[update], it was used by 43.4 million vehicles annually.[_needs update_]

Tolls are collected in both directions. The toll for cars is 3withaMaryland[E−ZPass](/wiki/E−ZPass"E−ZPass")and3 with a Maryland [E-ZPass](/wiki/E-ZPass "E-ZPass") and 3withaMaryland[E−ZPass](/wiki/E−ZPass"E−ZPass")and4 with another state's E-ZPass. Vehicles without an E-ZPass pay more, as do those with more than two axles—up to $45 for a 6+ axle vehicle without an E-ZPass.[4] All-electronic tolling using E-ZPass or toll-by-plate started in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and was made permanent in August 2020.[5] A project to demolish the toll plaza and replace it with overhead gantries for open road tolling started in 2022.[6]

Northbound trip through tunnel
(View in high quality)

The tunnel crosses the Patapsco River, just south of Fort McHenry; it connects the Locust Point and Canton areas of Baltimore City.

Design and construction

[edit]

View of entrance to tunnel

Plans for a second crossing of the Baltimore Harbor that would become the Fort McHenry Tunnel began in the late 1960s. Early plans called for an 8-lane double-deck bridge to carry I-95 over the harbor just south of Fort McHenry. In 1975, plans were changed to a tunnel after it was determined that a bridge would hurt Fort McHenry's status as a national monument.

The state of Maryland originally intended to build the tunnel with a reinforced concrete box design, but plans were changed in February 1976 to use a steel tubular design after a dispute with the Federal Highway Administration. The tunnel was to be constructed using the immersed tube method, with prefabricated tubes sunken into the harbor.[7]

Construction began in May 1980 by K-R-T (a joint venture between Peter Kiewit Sons Company, Raymond International Builders, and Tidewater Construction Corporation), and was completed in November 1985. Ninety percent of construction costs were covered by federal funding, while 10 percent came from state funding. The tunnel consists of 32 tube sections, each 82 feet (25 m) wide and 42 feet (13 m) tall. The east and west approaches are 1,600 feet (490 m) and 3,200 feet (980 m) long, respectively.[8]

Opened on time and under budget, the tunnel closed a gap in I-95 through Maryland.[9] Soon after the Fort McHenry Tunnel opened, the nearby Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, which had opened to traffic in 1957, was extensively rehabilitated.

The Fort McHenry Tunnel continues to be a vital transportation link in the Mid-Atlantic region. After the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, the tunnel became one of the primary alternate routes for drivers and trucks containing non-hazardous loads.[10]

  1. ^ "Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Opens". Ocala Star-Banner. 1985-11-24. p. 3.
  2. ^ "The Interstate". Ginger Strand. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  3. ^ DCRoads.net. "Fort McHenry Tunnel: Historic Overview". Accessed 2011-07-11.
  4. ^ "Maryland Toll Rates". Accessed 2023-01-31.
  5. ^ "All-Electronic Tolling Now Permanent at All MDTA Facilities Statewide in Maryland". Salisbury, MD: WBOC-TV. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "CONSTRUCTION AT FORT MCHENRY TUNNEL (I-95) TOLL PLAZA WILL PROVIDE DRIVERS WITH HIGHWAY-SPEED ACCESS TO ALL-ELECTRONIC TOLLING | MDTA". mdta.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  7. ^ Kozel, Scott M. "Fort McHenry Tunnel". Roads to the Future. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "Ft. McHenry Tunnel". Road Traffic Technology. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Fort McHenry Tunnel." Fact sheet.
  10. ^ Mattu, Rohan (2024-03-26). "How to travel around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore: A look at the traffic impact and alternate routes - CBS Baltimore". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.

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