 |
| Street View |
 |
| IllinoisTollway after clicking PROJECT MAP AND PHASES "button" |
Some information I remember from an article I read several months ago. (I remember writing some notes based on that article, but I can't find them!) The shoofly (temporary) tracks will support the track speed of 70mph. It is important that they will maintain three tracks that can support track speed during the construction years because BNSF claims its commuter service is at capacity with a 70mph speed limit. The article also reported on BNSF and the Tollway gathering public input. I remembered that Hinsdale and Western Springs whined that the fourth track, which will be used to temporarily store MoW equipment, will destroy their view from their park. I remember using Street View on Burlington Ave. to look at their wonderful view. As long as they replant some trees, the work will have no lasting affect on the view. In fact, the current "wonderful" view had dumpsters in it. Do to concerns from the neighbors, the Tollway did agree to put up a fence along the boundary of the work so that construction traffic can't use residential streets to access the work. Unfortunately, according to the video below, they plan to put up an opaque fence. That will probably make it harder for me to get photos of the construction activity, i.e cranes.
(new window) This animation indicates that they plan to landscape the side of the track after they remove the temporary tracks.
Update:
 |
| safe_image for Noisy overnight construction on I-294 near Hinsdale, Western Springs will be minimal, tollway says Workers are building the supports for the BNSF temporary railway bridge over Interstate 294 that is part of the widening of the Central Tri-State Tollway.(Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press) Illinois Tollway employees say they will notify homeowners along the tollway before doing any more pile driving nearby on Interstate 294 during the night. [I missed the driving of the steel piles. (I don't do field trips during cold weather.) But the video below catches them driving wood piles.] |
May 2020 Update; The have been working long enough that Street View is showing some of the early work. I assume this is a storm sewer that they are adding on the east side.
 |
| Street View, Nov 2019 |
 |
| Street View, Nov 2019 |
But in addition to permanent bridge abutments for the new fourth track this project is creating, they built a big culvert so that Flagg Creek can go under the new embankment for the temporary tracks. They also removed a lot of trash trees so one now has a clear view of the BNSF trains.
(new window) If you want to hear the sound of pile driving, skip to 3:45.
In response to a question, I added this photo. The "red things" are the tops of the machines used to move the spans.
BNSF 9223 and 5618 lead a load of coal cars east across the Hinsdale shoo-fly (6/2/21)
 |
| 20200506 1924 |
A June 21, 2020, trip record shows the spans being prebuilt along the sides of the tollway.
 |
| Marc Malnekoff posted Welded rail being unloaded at the New I-294 bridge project, Western Springs, IL. 08/04/20 Dan Kleinhenz Here’s an article on how they replaced the bridges. http://www.walshgroup.com/.../safetyandtechnologyleadinst... |
 |
| Matt Buhlig posted A Herzog ballast train heads through Naperville this morning…I assume going to help out with the I-294 widening project. |
They didn't use Matt's cars. These cars stored in the Downers Grove Yard were the style used.
 |
| 20200925 3051 |
Terry Spirek posted a question as to the purpose of the 4th track that they will be adding.
Dennis DeBruler: I have read that it is for the temporary storage of MoW equipment when a work gang is in the area, They sometimes bring in a "super-tie" gang to replace over 10,000 ties during a long weekend. One article said that they do what normally takes three weeks by working nights during three days. The track they are working on is out of service the entire three days. Another track is taken out of service during the night for material handling.
Matthew Linhart: Most likely that's stated above that Maintenance of way needs somewhere to park there equipment.
Matthew S. Smith: Awful expensive MOW storage track. While it may be used for it now, according to a bit at the bottom of the article, it says they are planing for any possible expansion for the future and there lies the real explanation for 4 tracks.
William Bauer: Matthew S. Smith they've done that in other locations so it's not out of the ordinary.
Micheal Dirlenger: Its a siding for MOW trans to ease movements between Downers grove and Congress Park yards.
Michael Q Quagliano: Micheal Dirlenger I am curious where you heard that?
Micheal Dirlenger: Michael Q Quagliano Part of general discussion. Observation too because its harder to get equipment onto a yard after work. A former industry siding was once used in Hinsdale until it was removed some 20+ years ago for that purpose.
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Terry's post This is what the spans for the east side looked like before they moved them in place. |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Terry's post Another view of those spans. |
In response to a question, I added this photo. The "red things" are the tops of the machines used to move the spans.
 |
| 20200628 2294 |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Terry's post They had stored a cut of ballast hoppers and track panel gondolas in the DG Yard. I happen to catch a movement of a hopper and two gondolas crossing Main Street In DG. I think most of the tracks panels were for the crossover replacements done west of Highlands. |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Terry's post I ran down the platform to get a better view of the track panels and to record the context. |
 |
| Greg Kozlick posted |
Tried something new here, please be kind!
 |
| Greg Kozlick posted METX 199 and IDTX 4610 run parallel for a few moments before the Amtrak pulls ahead as they cross the Hinsdale shoo-fly (6/2/21) |
 |
| Daniel Fredrickson posted Roughly seven months ago, when I had first gotten my drone, I attempted a shot of Amtrak 203, the Operation Lifesaver unit, leading the westbound California Zephyr in Naperville, IL as the unit sat on the bridge over Washington Street. Fast forward to today and I wanted to try a similar idea, this time with a little more pizzazz - a bigger road! Here the unit leads the inbound Southwest Chief across I-294 (under heavy construction) as it approaches the Western Springs Metra station, which it will pass without stopping. In roughly 20 minutes it will be sitting inside Union Station in downtown Chicago. 12/3/2023 Flickr link for high quality: https://flic.kr/p/2pk6HrJ |
No comments:
Post a Comment