I-235 / I-44 Interchange

[Pete]

When do they cut over to the new railroad bridges and demolish the old ones?

[jn1780]

I'm kind of impressed with how this was done. It seems like it was an incredibly efficient way to get it done with minimal disruption - even with the highway closed for a couple days. The demo will be a piece of cake. The videos of this thing being "walked" into place were awesome.

Resetting the transporters seemed to be the slowest part of the move.

[Buffalo Bill]

When do they cut over to the new railroad bridges and demolish the old ones?

My sources say 4-5 weeks. The BNSF needs to come in and ballast the new alignment and bridge and then lay ties and track and then switch rail traffic. There is some a small amount of work on the bridge with waterproofing membrane on the ballast pan. Once rail traffic is moved, the old bridge can come out and things will speed up substantially on paving and retaining wall construction.

[Pete]

^

Thank you!

I suspect when the old rail bridges are gone things should start to speed up.

[OkiePoke]

Does anyone have a link to the drawings for this project?

[T. Jamison]

https://www.ok.gov/odot/OFF_Broadway_and_I-235.html

[OkiePoke]

I meant the actual design drawings. I thought they were posted here a while back but can't find them.

[jn1780]

I saw a train on the new bridge this afternoon.

[Bellaboo]

I saw a train on the new bridge this afternoon.

Now that was fast. An earlier post said 4 - 5 weeks and it's been less than 3.

[Pete]

I wonder if what you saw on the new bridge was the track-laying machine.

It looks like a train and has been laying track on the north side of the bridge as of a few days ago.

May be working it's way south across the bridge.

I'll try and get out there with my drone in the next couple of days.

[jn1780]

I wonder if what you saw on the new bridge was the track-laying machine.

It looks like a train and has been laying track on the north side of the bridge as of a few days ago.

May be working it's way south across the bridge.

I'll try and get out there with my drone in the next couple of days.

I saw the track laying machine the other day. This train was a regular freight train that would hold coal, gravel, etc. It wasn't going very fast so they could have been dumping gravel aggregate onto the newly laid track from this train.

[LakeEffect]

I saw the track laying machine the other day. This train was a regular freight train that would hold coal, gravel, etc. It wasn't going very fast so they could have been dumping gravel aggregate onto the newly laid track from this train.

Yeah - it was a ballast train dumping rock on either side of the bridge. BNSF is moving quickly.

[hipsterdoofus]

Is there any chance they will try to coordinate the next closure so they can do 50th street bridge work at the same time they tear down the old railroad bridge?

[Buffalo Bill]

Is there any chance they will try to coordinate the next closure so they can do 50th street bridge work at the same time they tear down the old railroad bridge?

More than likely. The Contractor is paid incentives to minimize closures.

[HOT ROD]

Is it a missed opportunity to not have installed a wider railroad bridge here to accommodate dual traffic?

It is well known that OKC desires a commuter rail system and this likely will be key for the Edmond-Downtown line. I'd hate to be in a bind later with this bridge when we had a chance to build a wider one that could have two tracks, one for passenger/commuter trains. Thoughts?

[OkiePoke]

Is it a missed opportunity to not have installed a wider railroad bridge here to accommodate dual traffic?

It is well known that OKC desires a commuter rail system and this likely will be key for the Edmond-Downtown line. I'd hate to be in a bind later with this bridge when we had a chance to build a wider one that could have two tracks, one for passenger/commuter trains. Thoughts?

The exchange is a mile south. Most of the time, they will have a train wait near 23rd street.

[HOT ROD]

i just hope it doesn't impact commuter rail efforts with the usual ("oh, we only have rail in the right-of-way" when we had the chance (at least) to design and build for the -immediate- future.

[pw405]

i just hope it doesn't impact commuter rail efforts with the usual ("oh, we only have rail in the right-of-way" when we had the chance (at least) to design and build for the -immediate- future.

I know that Norman did this when they built the Robinson St. underpass.

[jn1780]

I know that Norman did this when they built the Robinson St. underpass.

It looks like it was already a double track there at Robinson. The double track continues until reaching Rock Creek road.

I honestly don't know anything about railroad operations to say if it would have been wise to make the bridge over I-235 big enough for two tracks. I think its pretty much left to BNSF to determine where double track is needed. It doesn't seem a big deal as long as there is enough places for local freight trains to pull off to the side and allow trains passing through to pass. The expense of two tracks is a lot more than the I-235 bridge. They would need to widen the I-44 bridge, western bridge and lay new track all the way to Edmond. Its also not double track all the way to Norman either. That would be more track for BNSF to maintain and monitor which would ultimately make the operating expense for a commuter train a lot higher.

Speaking of underpasses, really wish there was one at Memorial. Its super annoying when a train backing into a side track and you have to wait for a guy to flip the switch to the track.

[baralheia]

Is it a missed opportunity to not have installed a wider railroad bridge here to accommodate dual traffic?

It is well known that OKC desires a commuter rail system and this likely will be key for the Edmond-Downtown line. I'd hate to be in a bind later with this bridge when we had a chance to build a wider one that could have two tracks, one for passenger/commuter trains. Thoughts?

It is shortsighted, absolutely, and for exactly the reason you mention; the BNSF Red Rock Subdivision that traverses the Metro from north to south is one of the three most heavily used rail lines in the state of Oklahoma. The section from Edmond to Norman will absolutely need to be double-tracked over most (if not all) of that segment in order for the proposed commuter rail service and the existing freight rail traffic to coexist with minimal delay; not doing so will create a large bottleneck for all trains through this area. BNSF themselves has expressed a desire to double-track significant portions of the Red Rock Sub, especially through the Metro, to help reduce freight delays. Failing to install a bridge wide enough for two tracks (or at least a provision to allow a second bridge at a later date) is absolutely a mistake on ODOT's part.

The exchange is a mile south. Most of the time, they will have a train wait near 23rd street.

There is a crew change point and a relatively small yard (Nowers Yard) between NW 36th St and NW 23rd St, which could absorb some of the freight delays, but that would only work for northbound traffic. Without any changes, Southbound traffic would need to wait 3 miles north of the bridge in a siding just north of W Britton Rd.

[hipsterdoofus]

Speaking of underpasses, really wish there was one at Memorial. Its super annoying when a train backing into a side track and you have to wait for a guy to flip the switch to the track.

Yup - had to do that twice this week. Or on Kell(e)y for that matter. Missed opportunity when they redid the interchange there and didn't put in an underpass.

<rant>Which by the way, this is going off topic, but the car dealership's constant shuttling of people back and forth to that lot across kelley is a massive accident waiting to happen </rant>

[LakeEffect]

The new bridge is open for regular trains. Not sure if it's in test mode or fully in operation, but they'll be ready to tear down the old one quite soon. Got these pics this morning.

I235RRBridge1.jpg I235RRBridge2.jpg

Via the Oklahoma Model Railroad Association:

[vaflyer]

I-235 is scheduled to close this weekend (March 2-5) to hang the beams for the 50th St. bridge.
I-235 tentatively is scheduled to close next weekend (March 9-12) to remove the old train bridge.

https://www.ok.gov/triton/modules/ne...ticle_id=40702

[Pete]

I had noticed that they have already started to build the NW 50th expanse across the freeway.

Here's hoping after this next flurry of activity then can start moving this forward more quickly, straighten out that crazy curve and finish what they can.

[warreng88]

Sorry for the delay. Pete asked me to post this earlier and I got caught up at work. Better late than never.

More detours expected around OKC bridge work

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record February 26, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two more closures of Interstate 235 are scheduled for bridge work on the first weekends of March, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

The construction of a new NW 50th Street overpass will require Broadway Extension traffic to be diverted for a few days beginning at 7 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday. A week after those beams are put in place, the old railroad bridge nearby will be taken down, which also will require detours around the same stretch of road. Traffic advisories were being drawn up for public dissemination Monday.

Construction in the area has not caused any scheduling problems for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad company, spokesman Joe Sloan said, nor are any expected as BNSF completes the cutover from the old bridge track to the new one. A work train – the functional equivalent of a truck crew for street projects – is now installing the track.

Once the cutover and safety testing are finished, the old bridge will be transferred to Allen Contracting Inc. for removal. Transportation Department spokeswoman Lisa Salim said the company has plans to salvage large pieces of the structure, although details were not immediately available.

The new steel structure is considered BNSF property now, and the company is expected to work with ODOT on any repairs needed over time, Salim said.

The bridges are part of an $88 million project to widen and reconstruct Interstate 235 between Interstate 44 and N. 36th Street. It is the largest single package of work in the department’s history and is proceeding according to schedule.

Many other such projects have come to a halt. In response to more than $840 million in cumulative cuts over the last several years, department officials have pushed more than 600 construction projects down the calendar and eliminated the possibility of starting dozens of others across the state for at least eight years.

Salim said the construction of the double-truss railroad bridge proved surprisingly popular with the public. The department broadcast live video online of the spans being moved into place at the end of January, attracting more than 17,000 viewers from around the world. Several hundred people showed up at the site to watch in person.