Pimlico redevelopment advances with tunnel excavation, foundation work and phased reopening plans

A detailed April 7, 2026 construction update for the Pimlico redevelopment, incorporating aerial images dated March 25, 2026, shows crews excavating the tunnel and Park Heights peninsula, preparing foundation pads and installing steel staging around the backstretch. The Maryland Stadium Authority newsletter, Construction Update Volume 12, lists Clark Construction Group as construction manager and design leads Ayers Saint Gross and Populous, and ties visible site work directly to the project’s goal of converting Pimlico into a year-round racing and community destination.

That visible progress has immediate calendar consequences: with Pimlico under reconstruction, the Preakness Stakes ran its 150th renewal at Pimlico on May 17, 2025 and the 151st Preakness is scheduled at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026. State officials previously identified the 152nd Preakness in 2027 as the target milestone for substantial completion of the rebuilt Pimlico, making the current foundation and tunnel work crucial for whether that schedule can be met.

The finance and contracting trail behind the site activity is concrete. In 2024 the General Assembly passed HB 1524 authorizing the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue up to $400 million in bonds for Pimlico’s demolition, design and reconstruction and for a new training facility. The MSA marketed a taxable revenue bond tranche of roughly $241.6 million in December 2025, and the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $14.3 million guaranteed maximum price demolition contract for Clark Construction on May 7, 2025. Demolition began with a public ceremony in July 2025 and state materials said demolition would be complete by the end of that year, with new construction beginning in early 2026.

Plans for the training footprint have shifted and that change affects budgets and capacity planning. The original program envisioned a new training center at Shamrock Farm, roughly 328 acres with at least $110 million in funding to board about 800 horses. On January 21, 2026 the MSA announced a tentative pivot to acquire Laurel Park as a statewide training hub, a move the state said would save roughly $50 million and support boarding capacity closer to 1,100 horses. That pivot alters how backstretch logistics at the rebuilt Pimlico will tie into regional training and stabling capacity.

State and local leaders remain visible on the project: Governor Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, MSA Chairman Craig A. Thompson and Bishop Troy Randall of the Pimlico Community Advisory Board participated in earlier events tied to demolition and redevelopment. Industry stakeholders, including the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, have emphasized modernized backstretch amenities and enhanced safety for horses and horsemen; Clark Construction held a job fair on April 2, 2026 as part of hiring and community benefit commitments tied to the build.

For racing planners and Baltimore officials the next checkpoints are clear: completion dates for backstretch and stable areas, milestone schedules for the track surface, clubhouse and grandstand, and confirmation that bond tranches and contract schedules remain on track. The March 25 aerials and the April newsletter turn abstract funding lines into visible excavation and foundations, and those physical signs will determine whether Pimlico’s racing calendar, local jobs and the state’s multi-year Preakness timetable shift as promised.