urbanSTL

CG91 wrote: ↑

Jul 20, 2022

What’s going on with the MacArthur bridge trestles around Broadway? I feel like there’s been construction going on there since last summer but was curious if they’re going to clear out any of the abandoned parts of that bridge to open up that area to redevelopment (or more likely just parking lots)


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All of the old road deck remnants are being removed. A new rail approach is being constructed, so I the old rail trestle will be removed next. Probably section by section with replacement right away to maintain rail traffic as best as possible. There are already some new concrete piers in place.

^They've apparently already opened a new bridge across Broadway for the south track. The next step will probably be removing the south track and building a new bridge for the north track. I expect they'll replace all of it step by step so as to avoid service interruptions. I wasn't too thrilled to see the bridge come down, but you know what? The trestle doubtless needs replacing, and this will keep the river crossing in business for generations to come. This helps to explain why TRRA was so hot to trot to get rid of the road deck. Makes everything else much easier. Will be interesting to see the process unfold, even if I will probably always miss the old approaches. (Much as with Merchants.)

Third span of Merchants bridge going in.    Trains magazine posted some photos of incoming span

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ts-bridge/

Took a little cruise related to that myself. (Sponsored by the St. Louis Regional Freightway, I think.)

Out of town, so I'm behind on dealing with the pictures, but here's a few samples:







They have quite the fleet of towboats managing this. Will post more later.

Now we just need one of the local railfans capture to capture a double crossing maybe with one being Amtrak on the rebuilt Merchants.  How many decades has it been?

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... 1#cxrecs_s

The 133-year-old bridge has long been one of the most traveled connections across the Mississippi River, linking the eastern and western U.S. rail networks. Now, the bridge’s capacity has been doubled with the ability to accommodate two trains at the same.

It's been quite a long time. I saw one, years and years ago. With Amtrak crossing while NS ran a Triple Crown Roadrailer. Remember thouse?

^Great link and news. STL has so much opportunity at hand to become indispensable to warehousing, logistics, and the US/global supply chains. If we play our cards right as a region, we can achieve a hell of a lot of new business and employment. Also, if I had the cash, I'd be building warehouses all over the near East Side, especially along I-255 wherever there's open land near a highway exchange. 

Thanks GC,

Hoping that some more projects can come together for region but they seem to missed out again on another round of Fed Grants.   INFRA grants published with a mix of mostly road/bridges with some rail.   Chicago CREATE project picked up some funding.    Detroit picked up grant to re-coonect neighborhoods.  But the "MEGA" grant looks interesting but also very broad.   A number of projects could qualify if their is any out there that have some funding lined up to make a Fed matching grant happen.  Maybe one of the frieghtway plans in and around Lambert for Cargo?  

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/do ... 202022.pdf

https://www.enr.com/articles/54806-us-d ... 6505589D2G

Seeking to simplify its discretionary grant programs, U.S. DOT this year initiated a “common application,” through which states, cities and other entities can apply to any or all of three types of grants, INFRA and two new programs, Rural Surface Transportation Grants and National Infrastructure Project Assistance, which DOT has dubbed the “Mega” program.
 
DOT says it will announce the winners of the rural and Mega competitions “in the coming months."

Not sure if this qualifies as news for the STL region, but figured it's worth bringing up given that we are on the Mississippi: 

https://fortune.com/2022/10/14/mississi ... isruption/

Any word from city/state officials or ACOE on whether this is affecting barge traffic up/down our region?

^ I would say yes.   Another article from Engineering News Record as it notes that forecasts are not favorable for the next month.   

https://www.enr.com/articles/55076-miss ... ge-traffic

Forecasters say the low water levels will continue and approach record lows within the next month. The National Weather Service’s Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center gauges show the river at or below the low-water threshold between Cairo, Ill., and Vicksburg, Miss. The center is predicting the water level at some points in the river could fall below the level seen during a low-water event in 2012, and near the record lows reached in 1988 within the next 28 days. Dry conditions are expected to continue, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Forecasters with the monitor say nearly three-quarters of the Midwest is abnormally dry, and nearly a third is experiencing drought.

You might check out the discussion beginning on ~page 8 in this thread on this.

STLEnginerd wrote: ↑

Oct 18, 2022

The fact that Illinois congressional delegation is opposing this still tells me Chicago sees this as a threat to their preeminence.  I gotta think a lot of Chicago traffic to and from Mexico runs through St. Louis, so i still am inclined to think there will be an impact locally.  Missouri staying mum makes sense when KC seems to be in line for a fairly significant uptick in traffic so that doesn't tell me how it will impact St. Louis.

Someone with better insight can correct me but believe a lot more Mexico traffic actually avoids St. Louis than goes through it.   Outside of Union Pacific I would assume any BNSF Mexico interchange ends up on Transcon through KC straight onto Chicago thus avoiding St. Louis   KCS is a big generator of Mexico traffic as they run one of the Mexican railroads to begin.  I assume that a lot of KCS traffic going to southeast is handed off to NS via their speedway cutting across and into Mississippi and or is handed off to BNSF & CP itself in KC avoiding St. Louis again.   CN and CSX probably gets a fair share of Mexico traffic via the Mobile Alabama railcar ferry serving southern Mexico.   I assume that traffic heads to Southeast via CSX rails and any northbound traffic goes on old Illinois Central route bypassing St. Louis.   

Even with that rain the levels now and forecasted don't show a whole lot of improvement. Just pushed us from the negative barely into the positive.

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrogr ... gage=eadm7

STL Construction News and Review: Contegra Construction Co. Completes Its Fourth Large Distribution Facility at Gateway Tradeport in Pontoon Beach, Ill.

Anheuser-Busch to resume shipping beer by rail from breweries in St Louis and Ft Collins, CO. Anheuser-Busch will be purchasing 240 new specially built rail cars and will partner with Union Pacific and Doll Distributing on the project.

https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/in ... 230112.htm