CSX tunnel project earns engineering honors

CSX Corp. yesterday announced its J&L Tunnel modification project in Pittsburgh recently won the Project of the Year Award from the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania and Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania.

The awards recognize the project's safe completion, sustainability, cost-effectiveness and community benefits, CSX officials said in a press release.

The J&L Tunnel was constructed in the 1880s as part of a Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) line to allow trains to travel beneath the former J&L Steel Co.'s Pittsburgh facility. Completed in late 2013, the project increased the tunnel's vertical clearance.

The Class I worked closely with public officials, local businesses and residents to minimize noise and disruption during construction, CSX officials said. After work was completed, the railroad restored trees and plantings, and improved landscaping to help create more of a recreational area.

"The J&L Tunnel project is a great example of CSX's commitment to invest in infrastructure that supports American businesses and growth while respecting the communities in which we operate," said Regional Vice President Randy Cheetham.

The J&L Tunnel project is part of CSX's National Gateway initiative to create a double-stack corridor between Mid-Atlantic seaports and Midwest markets. In Pittsburgh, the Class I recently unveiled a $50 million proposal to redevelop a former P&LE yard in McKees Rocks and Stowe Township into a new intermodal facility as part of the initiative. CSX also is working closely with local and federal authorities in Washington, D.C., to evaluate alternatives for improving or replacing the more than century-old Virginia Avenue Tunnel, which is a major rail chokepoint.