It was a humid, summer evening where Baltimore & Harford county folks delayed their dinners to learn more from Amtrak’s Bush & Gunpowder Rail Bridge project team on planning stages and process.
Amtrak Project team & Sarah outside of Joppatowne Christian Church with view of a community garden behind them.
Preview of Amtrak’s Presentation
The following screen captures from Amtrak’s presentation can be viewed in their entirety by following the recording link below.
Statistics were shared of the response rate received from the Waterway User Questionnaire survey, closed 2/9/2025.
Process Timeline reviewed: Summer 2026 Public Comment Period Fall 2026 Complete Evaluation and Issue Preliminary Navigation Clearance Determination (PCND) advising NEPA design alternatives. USCG is evaluating data collected and will issue the PCND.
Comments were collected at the event and will be reviewed by Amtrak to formulate a FAQ which will be posted by their group in the future.
Ongoing engagement is encouraged and can continue to be submitted to the Amtrak team by emailing BGRBProject@amtrak.com
Amtrak Project landing pages
https://amtraknewera.com/bush/
https://amtraknewera.com/gunpowder/
Amtrak Project Fact Sheets
The following were provided at the meeting and now available on the project landing pages referenced above.
Local Government Acknowledgements:
Alyson Lex representing Councilman David Marks of Baltimore County
Deborah Button online, representing Councilwoman Nolanda Robert of Harford County
Additional Special Thank You’s:
Adam Shellenbarger of Joppatowne Christian Church – who provided a welcoming space for all
Brady and Luke from Gunpowder RiverKeeper – for setting up the livestream for improved accessibility
GBWAG resumes meeting virtually next month, September 15th from 6-7pm. Please contact Sarah if you wish to be added to the mailing list containing meeting link & more! Sarah.J.Hauss@gmail.com