Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Wind River bridge project

Here’s an update to follow three prior threads on this project:
     Traffic Detours Due to Wind River Bridge Replacement? (8/4) by “sagehen”
      (https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4841961)
     …including KEL27’s observation that the new bridge was not on site as of Thursday:
 
     Bridge ready to head up river (7/28) by “OregonOldGuy”
     (https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4837812)
 
     …and the one that started it all:
     Fallbridge Sub Bridges one down one to go (7/25) by “railstiesballast”
     (https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4836042)
 
 
The new bridge was there on Friday (August 2)!  And so was the wind and rain.
Here are nine photos (unedited) from the sky:
 
1: looking west at the wet, windy weather in the lower Columbia Gorge.  Thankfully, the rain had just subsided when I arrived here.  The wind did not…flying here was a challenge!
 
2: Looking south across the Columbia River from the mouth of the Wind River; this short manifest was the first train I saw all day…at 1230pm!  (none on the UP, either!)
 
3: looking east, toward rapidly improving weather.
 

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4: staging of barges under the old bridge
 
5: from another angle
 
6: looking northwest toward Carson, WA.
 

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7: the new bridge…with track already in place.
 
8: Seven loads of ballast await
 
9: a view through the truss
 
Hopmere Hank
 

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Great coverage HH. Maybe you should start a drone pilot school. That shot into the end of the new bridge is special-knowing from my own pilot days how the wind gusts close to the surface can really kick you around.

BB

Very interesting series!

Larry

Great coverage on a most interesting project

Was just by there Saturday and your pics filled a lot of blanks from my drive-by. Would love to be there when the swap takes place.

BB in Spokane

Posted from iPhone

Any idea of the total cost of this project including all the labor & new bridge design & construction?

I bet in the millions?

Thanks....

Great coverage, I appreciate your efforts.
Cost?  The number $6 million comes to mind but I cannot cite a source (could even be for a different project).
After a two day suspension I see Amtrak No. 27 is coming across the Fallbridge Subdivision today  so it had to be a successful weekend.
My congratulations to the people of BNSF and the contractors who made it happen.

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> Great coverage, I appreciate your efforts.
Your initial report made it all possible...thank you!  I didn't know about it before that.
Mrs. Hank easily agreed to this short detour (as well as two others!) on our way to Idaho.

Hopmere Hank
 

Thanks for the pics...

Heard from an engineer friend that the Fallbridge opened at 15:00 yesterday afternoon, so BNSF MOW did a fantastic job of keeping to schedule.