From our FJTF FB page on 5/21/26-
At the GRIA (Greater Remington Improvement Assoc.) meeting on Wednesday night, May 20, a phalanx of reps from BGE and AMTRAK presented their findings about the need for 80′-monopole- or alternative 65′ H-frame-supported transmission lines crossing the Jones Falls from the DPW Salt Dome, just north of North Ave., to the mixed-use South Remington neighborhood to the east. As told by BGE reps, these new transmission wires, which would continue providing power to 48,000 residents, are necessitated by the construction of the new Frederick Douglass RR Tunnel to replace the 150-year-old B& P Tunnel through central West Baltimore.
GRIA Board members and others attending talked over the presenters, saying they felt disrespected by the process through which BGE got the Maryland Public Service Commission’s approval in just over 30 days. That approval process did not require public meetings although BGE indicated there would be some.
Now, Amtrak has identified a 2-year window to take the drawings to 100% design and open the new Tunnel by 2028. Meanwhile, it’s been a year since BGE last provided any information to GRIA about the project.
An expert’s assurance and a consolation…
Assurance- According to a BGE expert who attended and tried to explain a complicated lesson about the transmission of high voltage, it is virtually infeasible to bury the necessary wires between the North Ave. and the South Remington transmission stations.
Consolation- Instead of the originally proposed 140′ towers, two alternatives were offered: one showing an 80′ pole and the other a 65′ H-shaped structure.
This post has been slightly edited since.
-The Editors
Friends of The Jones Falls 