A stretch of Harford Road, a corridor that cuts through several neighborhoods in Northeast Baltimore, will face long-term lane reductions as part of an effort to speed up a CSX bridge reconstruction project.

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation said Monday that traffic will be reduced to one lane between Montpelier and East 25th streets. Left turns onto East 25th Street from Harford Road in both directions will also be restricted starting Wednesday.

The lane changes are being implemented as CSX works to reconstruct the Harford Road Bridge, which runs over the company’s railroad lines. In a letter to residents, CSX said the Harford Road Bridge Reconstruction Project, which was expected to end in 2027, is now scheduled to be completed in fall 2026.

CSX and the city’s DOT coordinated with REACH! Partnership High School, within the work zone at 2555 Harford Road, to designate a new student drop-off and pick-up zone near the northmost entrance to the school, according to a release.

CSX upgrades

The bridge work is just one in a series of projects to modernize CSX’s footprint downtown, most notably with renovations to the 1.7-mile Howard Street Tunnel, as it prepares for future import capacity increases at the Port of Baltimore.

The freight company is increasing the clearance height within the 130-year-old tunnel and at other locations along the rail line — including the Harford Road Bridge — to allow trains to stack two freight containers on top of one another. The tunnel was just a couple of feet shy of being able to do so.

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The project has involved lowering the train tracks at eight other central Baltimore locations and other height clearance work at more than a dozen other “choke points” between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

A mix of CSX, state and federal funds is footing the bill, estimated at roughly $566 million.