Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 6 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 5 related plants in PECWeb
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Maintaining the 140,000-mile U.S. rail network and about 100,000 rail bridges has been a top priority for the Freight Rail Industry. Bridges are built to last a long time, but don't last forever. Across North America, there are many bridges nearing the end of their lifespans, and quite a few that have actually gone past their "best before" dates. Age, coupled with heavier traffic, has created a growing need to rebuild or replace a number of rail bridges and trestles. Industrial Info is tracking several rail bridge-related projects.
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) (Norfolk, Virginia) is undertaking a $70 million bridge replacement project. Scheduled for completion in fourth-quarter 2015, the scope of the project involves construction of a spandrel-braced arch bridge spanning the Genesee River Gorge. Located south of the existing bridge, the project is Norfolk Southern Railway's largest bridge project in more than three decades. The existing structure will be removed, save for a small portion of one tower that will remain as a historical marker. Construction is set to commence this fall, with Modjeski and Masters (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) acting as the design-build firm.
The railroad company also recently completed a $20 million project to replace the existing 350-foot, three-span truss Monroe River Raisin rail bridge with a new 350-foot, four-span steel girder. Construction of the bridge, which began in June 2014 and was completed in August 2015, was overseen by The Ruhlin Company (Sharon Center, Ohio).
BNSF Railway Company (Fort Worth, Texas), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKA) (Omaha, Nebraska), has commenced a $10 million project involving the replacement of a 107-year-old, 550-foot tress rail bridge with a new, 550-foot steel girder rail bridge. Construction started in April and is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2017. Hamilton Construction Company (Springfield, Oregon) is serving as the general contractor on the project.
These infrastructure projects are not limited to the Class 1 freight railroads. Commuter railroads, short lines and regionals also have their fair share of infrastructure upgrades.
Indiana Railroad Company (INRD) (Indianapolis, Indiana) recently completed a $14 million project that entailed replacing the 114-year-old White River Railroad Bridge with a new, 450-foot steel girder. In recent years, the railroad company had implemented weight restrictions and a speed limit of 10 miles per hour. The new pre-stressed concrete bridge is 1,263 feet long and was built to handle trains at 40 miles per hour and maximum rail-car loads of 286,000 pounds. Construction began in March 2014, and INRD celebrated the bridge's grand opening in August. OCCI Incorporated (Fulton, Missouri) served as the general contractor on the project.
Maryland Transit Administration (Baltimore, Maryland) is in the design phase for a project involving the rehabilitation of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge. The project, with an investment value of $13.5 million, is scheduled to begin in fourth-quarter 2017 and will take about two years to complete.
Sound Transit (Seattle, Washington) is investing $115 million for the Tacoma Trestle Bridge Replacement. The project scope includes removing the existing single-track wooden bridge and trestle (0.65 miles), constructing a new concrete double-track rail bridge, steel overpass, passenger platform and crossover tracks, upgrading the abutment along the trestle and railroad signals, and relocating some utilities. David Evans and Associates Incorporated (Portland, Oregon) is the design-engineering firm on the project. Construction is scheduled to start in second-quarter 2016 and is slated for completion in second-quarter 2018.
For many of the railroad companies, the schedule for bridge related projects extends well into the future. These projects will help the railroads eliminate the need to reroute heavier loads. The rehabilitated and upgraded bridges also will be much safer.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) (Norfolk, Virginia) is undertaking a $70 million bridge replacement project. Scheduled for completion in fourth-quarter 2015, the scope of the project involves construction of a spandrel-braced arch bridge spanning the Genesee River Gorge. Located south of the existing bridge, the project is Norfolk Southern Railway's largest bridge project in more than three decades. The existing structure will be removed, save for a small portion of one tower that will remain as a historical marker. Construction is set to commence this fall, with Modjeski and Masters (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) acting as the design-build firm.
The railroad company also recently completed a $20 million project to replace the existing 350-foot, three-span truss Monroe River Raisin rail bridge with a new 350-foot, four-span steel girder. Construction of the bridge, which began in June 2014 and was completed in August 2015, was overseen by The Ruhlin Company (Sharon Center, Ohio).
BNSF Railway Company (Fort Worth, Texas), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKA) (Omaha, Nebraska), has commenced a $10 million project involving the replacement of a 107-year-old, 550-foot tress rail bridge with a new, 550-foot steel girder rail bridge. Construction started in April and is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2017. Hamilton Construction Company (Springfield, Oregon) is serving as the general contractor on the project.
These infrastructure projects are not limited to the Class 1 freight railroads. Commuter railroads, short lines and regionals also have their fair share of infrastructure upgrades.
Indiana Railroad Company (INRD) (Indianapolis, Indiana) recently completed a $14 million project that entailed replacing the 114-year-old White River Railroad Bridge with a new, 450-foot steel girder. In recent years, the railroad company had implemented weight restrictions and a speed limit of 10 miles per hour. The new pre-stressed concrete bridge is 1,263 feet long and was built to handle trains at 40 miles per hour and maximum rail-car loads of 286,000 pounds. Construction began in March 2014, and INRD celebrated the bridge's grand opening in August. OCCI Incorporated (Fulton, Missouri) served as the general contractor on the project.
Maryland Transit Administration (Baltimore, Maryland) is in the design phase for a project involving the rehabilitation of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge. The project, with an investment value of $13.5 million, is scheduled to begin in fourth-quarter 2017 and will take about two years to complete.
Sound Transit (Seattle, Washington) is investing $115 million for the Tacoma Trestle Bridge Replacement. The project scope includes removing the existing single-track wooden bridge and trestle (0.65 miles), constructing a new concrete double-track rail bridge, steel overpass, passenger platform and crossover tracks, upgrading the abutment along the trestle and railroad signals, and relocating some utilities. David Evans and Associates Incorporated (Portland, Oregon) is the design-engineering firm on the project. Construction is scheduled to start in second-quarter 2016 and is slated for completion in second-quarter 2018.
For many of the railroad companies, the schedule for bridge related projects extends well into the future. These projects will help the railroads eliminate the need to reroute heavier loads. The rehabilitated and upgraded bridges also will be much safer.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
