The Fort McHenry Project

Since writing this blog, we received the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Fabrics Association for our Tunnel awnings! Click here for more info.

We’re proud to announce that in the past several months, Hoffman Awning has been working closely with The Maryland Transportation Authority to manufacture a striking new design above all 4 bores of the Fort McHenry Tunnel.

Work on the project began back in February of this year as part of the bicentennial celebrations. The signage consists of 66 separate aluminum frames with vivid graphics spanning over 320 feet.

Design:

Project Manager Joe Grimm along with our CAD and graphics manager Ben Youngs drew up a unique design that would fit the contours of the curved concrete above the 4 bores on both sides of the tunnel.

5ft wide panels made from extruded aluminum were fabricated by our team of expert welders. All 66 of these panels were designed to lock into each other and bolt above each bore of the Tunnel.

 

Artwork:

Our graphics manager Ben Youngs began working closely with the team @ the MTA to come up with a striking design incorporating the Maryland flag along with a logo representing Fort McHenry.

Several options were created before a design was finalized.

 

 

Fabrication:

Once the design was squared away, we began turning the 320′ of artwork into 66 jigsaw pieces.
Extra care was taken to make sure each custom panel would line up perfectly with its corresponding piece.
The artwork was printed onto vinyl and then stapled onto the 11' x 5' curved aluminum frames.

Installation:

Crews worked around the clock in bucket lifts to install the panels over several nights. During installation, we coordinated with the Maryland Transportation Authority to close off one section of the busy tunnel at a time. It was very important to work to a strict schedule in order to cause the least amount of disruption to traffic.

The Finished Project: