Western Railroad Discussion > Grade Separation Projects

Another thread reminded me that Olathe was doing the same thing that Wichita is. What other big projects like this have their been in recent years? I'll start with these. The first two are a little older:
-UP bybass around Hastings, NE & over BNSF
-BNSF over UP at Grand Island, NE
-UP trench in Reno, NV
-UP bypass around Marysville, KS
-UP/BNSF elevation in Wichita, KS
-BNSF elevation in Olathe, KS

What others are there? What else is planned?

The Alameda Corridor is one, there's a threat/plan for one in Colton (both are in CA by the way).


TCS - there's the one i designed that got "shuffled" ..

NS did a trench style in Lafayette, IN a few years back

MAB Wrote:
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> NS did a trench style in Lafayette, IN a few years
> back


Also relocated its ex-NKP mainline through Erie, Pa., onto the ex-NYC elevated alignment (shared then with Conrail, now with CSX) to eliminate the street running there.

switchlock Wrote:
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> Another thread reminded me that Olathe was doing
> the same thing that Wichita is...What other big
> projects like this have their been in recent
> years?

Good question. I think something on this order, although minor in comparison to what's listed above, is something in Flagstaff, AZ (if I'm wrong, someone will swiftly point it out).

I'd personally love to see lots more such grade separations, both to keep trains out of each other's way (like at Grand Island), and to keep idiot jerk motorists off the railway tracks, where for my money they have no business trespassing anyway. (Just think, if we had these, UP wouldn't need cameras in its locomotives.)

I thought I recall seeing in UP's website somewhere that is pursuing other grade separations on its property, I'm guessing (rather than knowing) on its coal line leading out of the Powder River Basin. Some entity in the Los Angeles area, whether the city of the county, I do not recall, had suggested replicating the industrial scale of the trench to the harbor off to the east, but like many projects posed by planners and politicians, they are comprised of an enormous component of hot air, at least as much as structural steel and concrete (just like this thread=), until the bulldozers start dozing. I recall a monster highway/rail grade separation project near West Colton to separate the BNSF from the UP mains, both of which are very heavily traversed. The various separations in Kansas City--Sheffield Flyover, Kenefick Flyover, and one other the name of which escapes me--are another, related batch. The Chicagoland CREATE program, designed to eliminate rail-to-rail and rail-highway, is just getting started, and promises (if the politicians don't lose interest) to continue for 15-20 years to eliminate rail and highway congestion within the Chicago Switching District. NS predecessor Norfolk & Western (maybe, on further recollection, Southern Railway) completed one in southern Indiana some 20 years ago. In Idaho, that state was planning (don't know if work has strarted yet--remember the admonition regarding hot air, above) to grade-separate the BNSF Funnel plus a goodly stretch of UP's Washy Line, if rail traffic were combined on the two, from any and all highway traffic--a great idea (Funnelfan will tell us more of that one).and(If other come to mind, I'll add them in ad LATE ENTRY EDITS.

I'd wish we'd see more of these. The problem: unless the number of trains which stand to be delayed is enormous, railroads simply cannot afford the expense, because there are more pressing needs for their capital. Ditto for states and municipalities: unless rail traffic becomes a huge civic pain in the butt, any impetus for them to help is small, and any $ dollar contribution will likely be pro forma at best.

The Alexandria Extension of CSX is being elevated to alleviate some busy grade crossings. This is part of CSX's Eastcoast North-South Corridor.

The relocation of the x NKP happened after the Conrail split. This was a concession made for the approval of the Conrail split by the city of Erie, Pennsylvania.


toledopatch Wrote:
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> Also relocated its ex-NKP mainline through Erie,
> Pa., onto the ex-NYC elevated alignment (shared
> then with Conrail, now with CSX) to eliminate the
> street running there.

trainmasterrob Wrote:
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> The relocation of the x NKP happened after the
> Conrail split. This was a concession made for the
> approval of the Conrail split by the city of Erie,
> Pennsylvania.


Wow, it seems like it was longer ago than that.

Yep! Hard to believe!
Fall of 2001 was the cut over to the new route through Erie. Buy the summer of 2002 the bridges and crossing shanties where all gone. Miss sitting at Grandmas house and hearing the continual blast of the NS trains down 19th street.
Rumor has it, a few of the people along 19th street had trouble adjusting to the quietness that bestowed the neighborhood after the new route through town opened.

toledopatch Wrote:
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> trainmasterrob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The relocation of the x NKP happened after the
> > Conrail split. This was a concession made for
> the
> > approval of the Conrail split by the city of
> Erie,
> > Pennsylvania.
>
>
> Wow, it seems like it was longer ago than that.

trainmasterrob Wrote:
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> The Alexandria Extension of CSX is being elevated
> to alleviate some busy grade crossings. This is
> part of CSX's Eastcoast North-South Corrido

Not Alexandria, Virginia??? Where is the Alexandria extension?

Thanks in advance. --billio

Connects CSX Capital Sub at "JD" Hyattsville, MD to former Pennsy now CSX Landover Line at Anicostia, DC.
billio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> trainmasterrob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Alexandria Extension of CSX is being
> elevated
> > to alleviate some busy grade crossings. This is
> > part of CSX's Eastcoast North-South Corrido
>
> Not Alexandria, Virginia??? Where is the
> Alexandria extension?
>
> Thanks in advance. --billio

Caltrain has built some sections of elevated track between San Jose and San Francisco, San Carlos is one.

Here's one of the major projects planned for San Bernardino County (Ca.) by SANBAG (San Bernarcino Associated Governments. This is for the Colton "flyover". There are many other projects listed on their website.-BMT

Grade Separation: Colton Crossing
SANBAG will award a contract in the spring of 2007 for preliminary engineering and environmental document development for the Colton Crossing, the junction of Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks south of Interstate 10.

The proposed project will build a bridge (also known as a grade separation) to separate the east-west UP tracks and the north-south BNSF tracks that cross between Rancho Avenue and Mt. Vernon Avenue in Colton.

The bridge is considered a project of national significance, due to the extremely heavy volume of freight carried on both of these railways. Plans call for the elevation of the UP tracks via a bridge over the BNSF tracks, thereby eliminating delays and associated costs of trains having to wait for other trains to cross. This also will improve the flow of passenger trains as well as provide for future increases in both freight and passenger rail traffic at this location.

The $150 million to $200 million project is in the early stages of the process. The Supplemental Project Study Report was approved by Caltrans in January 2006. SANBAG received $2.2 million of Interregional Transportation Improvement Program funds in the 2006 State Transportation Improvement Program to fund preliminary engineering and environmental document development, estimated to be completed by early 2009.

Pending available funding, final design could begin in mid-2009, with construction beginning in 2011 and estimated to take 24 months to complete.

MAB Wrote:
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> NS did a trench style in Lafayette, IN a few years
> back


Sorry, but there is no trench in Lafayette. Track is at or close to street level. Highways now go over or under it. CSX exMonon came off fifth street and went to a riverside corridor in the late 90's the Corridor was built for both CSX and NS but it wasn't until 2001 that NS finally got the new track in place and cut into service. Highway underpasses on 2nd Street just North of Lafayette Junction and just north of the 9th and Greenbush intersections. Overpasses now exist at Salem, Union, Columbia, and South Streets. Wabash Avenue still crosses the Monon at grade just south of Cargill. 231, 25, and 52 all cross via underpasses or overpasses. Underwood Street still crosses the North Yard tail track at grade but I never in five and a half years saw a train that far down the tail track. The old Lafayette Belt Railroad still has numerous grade crossings along the length of its route but sees less than a train a day and it an industrial spur line. The old TA double track (exNKP/NYC double track from Altamont (Lafayette) to Templeton is now KBS and that is grade separated with via an overpass over 231. The only public crossing is at Airport Rd by the Purdue Airport. There is a private crossing by the Purdue power plant but I have never used it or seen it used by a non-university vehicle and it doesn't appear on most maps. That is basically a summation of the Lafayette Grade Separation Project known in Lafayette as the Lafayette Rail Relocation Project. Many of the engineering overview documents presented in the creation of this project are held in various Purdue University Libraries.

Cheers,
Nick

Eventually, probably not in my lifetime, grade separations will be the norm. The time will come when the public will not accept the number of injuries and fatalities we have now.

Walter Johnson

wlj619 Wrote:
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> Eventually, probably not in my lifetime, grade
> separations will be the norm. The time will come
> when the public will not accept the number of
> injuries and fatalities we have now.
>
> Walter Johnson

It's not the public, but the politicians that won't accept the number of injuries and fatalities. It's the dumb public that keep running through and around the crossing gates. The polititians have to protect the public from themselves.-BMT

UP flyover East out of Neff Yard in KC many years ago, and the BNSF flyover at Santa Fe Jct. in West KC. upkpfan