Aberdeen awarded $800K in federal funds for train station upgrades, pedestrian underpass
The city of Aberdeen has received $800,000 in federal funds to improve the Aberdeen train station — a project that includes a new pedestrian underpass connecting parts of the city long divided by the depot.
The funds, provided by a U.S. Department of Transportation program, will be used to create engineering and design plans, develop an environmental impact study and examine immediate needs for future improvements to the station.
“The project will bring quality jobs to the area and provide residents and visitors an improved and accessible commuting experience,” Aberdeen Mayor Patrick McGrady said in a news release.
Located at 18 E. Bel Air Ave., the station has both Maryland Area Regional Commuter and Amtrak trains, as well as regional bus service.
Both the station’s tunnel and pedestrian bridge do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The tunnel and bridge aren’t compliant because of the angle of the ramps and the length between the rest areas, McGrady said.
The project will create a transportation hub, a new pedestrian underpass connecting East and West Bel Air Avenue and improve accessibility to address ADA concerns.
“Station Square is the busiest stop in Harford County, but its old, outdated transportation infrastructure cannot adequately serve this growing community,” U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, said in a news release. “Modernizing the Aberdeen Train Station will better support the capacity of Amtrak, MARC and Harford Transit buses while also making the area safer for bikers and pedestrians.”
The overpass, which was built in 1982, will be modernized by connecting both sides of the station to remove physical and economic barriers separating the city’s residents.
The concrete overpass split one side of the city from the other when it was installed, McGrady said.
“On the east side, the community has experienced less investment and a high intensity of government-subsidized housing units, causing the folks who live there to feel segregated, and be segregated by way of the overpass,” McGrady said in an emailed statement to the Aegis. “Our goal is to unite the community by removing the physical impediment and perceived segregation.”
Earlier, Aberdeen secured $4 million through the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act for this effort with support from Maryland’s two U.S. senators.
“The outdated pedestrian infrastructure at Aberdeen’s Train Station not only limits accessibility to public transportation services, it also hinders travel across the city.” said U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, also a Democrat, in the news release. “Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we secured funding to update the infrastructure of the past – like this – and lay the foundation for a future of connectivity and more economic prosperity.”
