UP Northline bridge reconstruction

[west towns]

I noticed in Metra's 2010 budget book that the UP North line will start a major bridge replacement project and new station at Ravenswood. From what happened on the NW line, one track was taken out of service. With North line being 2 tracks will this result in single track operation? If so how would this work during the rush hour as there is pretty decent service both inbound and reverse.

Anyone know what will happen?

[trainman8119]

I noticed in Metra's 2010 budget book that the UP North line will start a major bridge replacement project and new station at Ravenswood. From what happened on the NW line, one track was taken out of service. With North line being 2 tracks will this result in single track operation? If so how would this work during the rush hour as there is pretty decent service both inbound and reverse.

Anyone know what will happen?

I am not familiar with the layout, but usually they will build a temporary "shoe fly" to work around the actual bridge. This is currently the setup at 159th street on the Electric and was the case when the bridges at River Road and Hanover Park were redone. It entails building an extension then a slight curve around the work area. Should only require minimal delays through the construction zone.

[MetroShadow]

I guess my concern then would be whether or not there will be room at the viaduct for the "shoe fly" to be placed...

[Busjack]

I guess my concern then would be whether or not there will be room at the viaduct for the "shoe fly" to be placed...

At least in the CTA case in Evanston, and also when they redid Wacker Drive and the Wells St. L bridge over it was replaced, they had the new steel bridge next to the old one, then during one weekend they closed the line, knocked the old one out and slid the new one in.

In that Metra replaced most of the bridges on the UPNW line and the RI in the city, I suppose they have it figured out, but since I am not an engineer, I can't give you more.

[Busjack]

Daily Herald says in an article on rebuilding a bridge in Elgin, this project is supposed to start.

[strictures]

On 1/22/2010 at 9:53 PM, west towns said:

I noticed in Metra's 2010 budget book that the UP North line will start a major bridge replacement project and new station at Ravenswood. From what happened on the NW line, one track was taken out of service. With North line being 2 tracks will this result in single track operation? If so how would this work during the rush hour as there is pretty decent service both inbound and reverse.

 

Anyone know what will happen?

There were originally three tracks on the UP North until 1995 or so. The C&NW took out the western most track as the embankment was collapsing in many places. Metra has rebuilt much of that embankment from Bryn Mawr south & the new track that was put into service a year or so ago is on that section of rebuilt embankment. The new NB Ravenswood station is along side the newly built track.

So now there is an empty space where the old NB track was in the middle of the embankment, as all the ties & rails have been removed.  So maybe they will build the new bridges in the middle section & then build a new track after the bridges are replaced. If you go under any of them, you can see that they built temporary concrete supports for all the old bridges.

But what's baffling to me is that nothing has been done on the UP North for two years. All of the replaced bridges were done by the end of summer 2014!