Western Railroad Discussion > I-215 bridges in Colton?

Today I drove by the new bridges in Colton over the I-215. What surprised me is they are clearly building abutments for two more lines over the freeway. That would be four tracks total. Anyone else notice this?

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

There will be a third track; I'm wondering if what you also saw were the old, center median supports for the now removed SP line that was perhaps 150 yards past the ATSF line?

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

No, everything old is gone and the new abutments are going up quick. Like I said there was clearly 4 being built for two more tracks. I'm not talking about the centers ones, the ones on the sides.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

Future Capacity? Fairly common with bridge abutments. I've seen many newer single track bridges, with room for a second one built into the abutments. In many cases, the 2nd bridge was never installed.

AZSP Wrote:
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> Future Capacity? Fairly common with bridge
> abutments. I've seen many newer single track
> bridges, with room for a second one built into the
> abutments. In many cases, the 2nd bridge was
> never installed.


The Nogales St undercrossing of the UP Alhambra Sub in the City of Industry was built like that. The abutments are designed and built to hold what looks like up to 3 tracks, but the bridge pieces installed only allow one track.

I shall take a closer look tomorrow and see if I can grab some photos.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

Are you seeing abutments for permanent bridges?
The trusses there now are temporary?

Where is this story that the present Truss are only temporary?

What is the source? Just another post on TO or some facts.

timz Wrote:
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> Are you seeing abutments for permanent bridges?
> The trusses there now are temporary?

Back when the two new trusses where installed, I heard from a couple of sources that those two bridges were only temporary and would be moved over to new locations closer to the original alignment once the old bridge was removed. Others told me they were mistaken. Here is what I think is happening:

Caltrans has a policy to add an additional track to any bridge replacement. Since the old bridge was two tracks, the new bridge would have to have three tracks. But there is a couple of problem at this particular location. The additional length requires three individual single track bridges instead of one three-track bridge. So, Caltrans builds two new truss bridges and two abutments east of the old bridge. It then moves the two present main tracks over to the new bridges. Then it removes the old bridge and builds two new abutments in its place. A third truss is placed on the west new abutment. Now BNSF moves Main 1 off the west of the first two truss bridges to the third bridge. Then the move that new detracked truss over one abutment and relay Track 2 onto it. The final truss is moved over one abutment for the future Main 3 with abutments in place for future Main 4. Confused? See my crude diagram below that I hope shows what I just write.

---

He calls a ball game next week . . . .

Who's on first . . .


Seriously, the diagrams are indeed helpful and helps clarify the geographical gymnastics

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

The illustration present a good idea of what is planned for the BNSF crossing of the rebuilt I-215. The BNSF would not have wanted to have a permanent shoo-fly for it's mainline via the two truss bridges that were built so that the old bridge could be removed and replaced.

It very common for Cal Trans to construct expensive bridges to keep traffic moving and the tear them down when the permanent bridge is built. One reason that the widening of old freeways is so costly.

Cliff

MyfordBrowning Wrote:
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> The illustration present a good idea of what is
> planned for the BNSF crossing of the rebuilt
> I-215. The BNSF would not have wanted to have a
> permanent shoo-fly for it's mainline via the two
> truss bridges that were built so that the old
> bridge could be removed and replaced.
>
> It very common for Cal Trans to construct
> expensive bridges to keep traffic moving and the
> tear them down when the permanent bridge is built.
> One reason that the widening of old freeways is so
> costly.
>
> Cliff

Thanks for this explanation and the earlier diagrams. It
really answers a lot of stupid questions about why there
would be a big jog in a mainline track like that.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Thanks for the info. It all makes sense now.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

So best theory now is that the trusses will
continue to be used, but on the original
alignment? They're not future scrap metal?

That is correct. I work for a contractor that bid on the project (unsuccessfully) and that is the staging called for in the contract plans.

Where the UP's Los Angeles Sub crosses over the 91 Freeway near Pachapa Hill, they also built a new bridge to accommodate the widening of the freeway, but it looks like there's a "permanent" shoo fly. The curve approaching the bridge on the west side has been permanently re-aligned.

I guess UP should have played a game of hardball with Caltrans on a par with BNSF!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/14 14:59 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

This one, you mean?

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.96554,-117.377581&spn=0.005254,0.004823&t=k&z=18

Is the Google pic the new or the old bridge?
If it's the new, what's bad about that
alignment?

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> Where the UP's Los Angeles Sub crosses over the 91
> Freeway near Pachapa Hill, they also built a new
> bridge to accommodate the widening of the freeway,
> but it looks like there's a "permanent" shoo fly.

> I guess UP should have played a game of hardball
> with Caltrans on a par with BNSF!

Has no major effect on the current ROW.

timz Wrote:
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> Is the Google pic the new or the old bridge?

The old one.

Maybe Caltrains will put in a new, parallel bridge for a future second track?

Here's a twist in all of this. They're building three new set of abutments, not 2.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com