Paga46 • August2015 26, • www.oonotructlonoquipmenlgUlcle.com • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMEriTGUIIE � Invests$'JlOM Into Restoring Railroad Service ByJay Adams problems. While the Commonwealth of CEO CORRESPONDENT Cardi Corp. crews work 011 rat/over Massachusetts provided an emergency sub­ PresidentAve1n1e tn FaU Rive,: sidy to continue service to tl1e Soud1 Coast in A long-dead mode of transportation is 1958, it was not enough. Passenger service coming back to life in several cities in on the Old Colony line was abandooed in Massachusetts.. 1959, with the exception of the main line Months of summer work have begun to between Boston and Providence,R.l. repair vital rail bridgesin the FallRiver area, The currentone-year phase of lhe project partof the 120-month South Coast Rail proj­ is seeingrailways shoredup forthe firsttime ect d1at is restoring52 mi. (83.6 km)of com­ in 56 years. muter rail service between Boston and lhe With the first year design phase complete. Massachusetts South Coast. The entirecost involving state discussions with communi­ of die decade-long plan is estimated to be tiesfrom Stoughton to FallRiver. tons of soil $2l0million. samples are being taken over many months "We are thrilled about the three Fall River to discerntoxic conte111 and other vital infor­ bridges and the Warnsutta Bridge in New mation. When the design phase is complete Bedford. These are solid investments that and the samples in hand, MassDOT will will provide immediate benefit to the begin replacing four bridges - New expanding freightrail sector. along the same Bedford's Wan�utta Bridge. Fall River's route as lhe future South Coast Rail com­ Golf Club Road. President Avenue and muter line,'· said Jean Fox, project director Brownell Streetbridges. ofMassDOT. ..Brownell's bridge replac.-ement will be ..From similar bridge replacements con­ much more pleasing to the eye than the cur­ ducted in the past. we have seen that these rent structure. as well. Gou· Club Road had lo improvements are transfommtional. They be closed several years ago because of its can change the 1--omplexionof an urban area poor condition. The tempomry access road quite remarkably.'' insialled just beforetlie closure unfortunately Since serviceto this area stopped in 1959. provided easy access to trespassers;· said Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford are the only major municipalities within 50 mi. see RAILSpage 48 (80.4 km) of Boston that do not have transit access to the state's capital and other com­ Tbe proposed SmllbCoast munities. Rall servwe wl1l be a11 When the Massachusetts Bay exte11slon of tbe illB'(A's Tmi1sportation Authority (MBTA) fmishes existi,rg Stoughton com­ the 10-year plan that is alreadythrough year muter railHrre to tbe new two. South Coast Rail will reconnect this tennl1111l stations ,,, New economically depressed region, spurring Be4fordand PallRive,: new jobs and a kind of vitality to the are-.i that hasn ·t been seen since its major textile factoriesand mills closed dec:Kles ago. The propost:d South Coast Rail service will be an extension of the MBTA's existing Stoughton commuter nlil line to the new tenninal stations in commuter rail service," said Fox. '·For pedestrians and New Bedford and Fall River. The route will extend from vehicular traffic, the removal of the center islm1d on Stoughton Station along an inactive section of right-ot�way Presidem Avenue will enhance safety and aesthetics, by from Stoughton to Taunton, then onto the active freightr.ii.1- removinga line-ot�sight obstacle andreplacing lhe 1900-era road mnidor from Taunton to the terminusstations in Fall structure. River and New Bedford. The project will include the reconstruction of existing Railways LongDead Canton Center andStoughton Stations and the addition of I0 Rail networks popped up all over Massachusetts .u1d new commuter railstations andtwo overnightlayover facil­ becanie a popular way to commute and tmvel. The South ities. The new stations will be located in North Easton, Coast region was originally connected to Boston with rail Easton Village, Raynham Park, 1',111111011, Taunton Depot. service via the Fall River Branch. the Taunton Br.111chand King's Highway, Whale's Toolh. Freetown. FallRiver Depot the Ellston Branch railroadsbuilt in tJ1e mid-1800s. ultimate­ and Battleship Cove. A new overnightlayover facilitywill l:ie ly operated by the Old Colony Railroad. The New York, located in both New Bedford and Fall River. New Haven and Hrutford Railroad leased the Old Colony When it is done, a total of approximately 42.000rail ties Railroad system begimting in 1893 and was successful for and thousand� of spikes will be installed along the 14 mi. many decades. ( 22.5 km) of trackleading lo Fall River and 19 mi. (30.5 km) 1n the eurly to mid-20thcentury, the United States expeti­ of trackleading 10 New Bedford. enced an automobile revolution and a societal shift toward "We knowthat these bridges will be true enhancements. auto-oriented urba.n planning. Interstate highways were All of the b1idges are currently structurallydeficienL so they booming. Plivate automobiles replaced commuler rail as the would need work anyway. Full replacement will help the popular mode of transportation. As a result. the New York, freightoperator in the short term and pave the way forfuture New Haven and Hartford Railroad encountered financial . .. Page48 • AugU&t 26, 2015 • www.conatrucUonequlpmonlguldd.com• CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT GUIDE MassDOT ConstructsRailroad Bridge Replacements MOHlbs qfswmner u,ork have t,egun to repairfour vital rail bridges hithe FallRwe,· area,part of the 120.motrtbSoutb Coast Rail projei:ttbat is restoring52 mi. (83.6km) qf comn,uter rail serolce between Bostoitn,ut tbe Massachusetts South Coast. RAILS frompage 46 crossings (three in Freelown. one in $12.7 billion to· finance a number of efits. According to the MBTA literatures, Taunton and one in New Bedford), rebuild improvements 10 the Conunonwealth's electric trains have several key advantages Fox of the ongoing design work. '1rds11dis­ approximately I 0,500 ft.(3.200 m) of track tr.msportationinfrnstruclure system in 2014. over diesel lnlins: Zero emission vehicles pos.iland vandalism were becoming a sig­ in Freetown and install approximately including a $2.3 billion bill for South Coas1· run more cleanly and efticiently, resulting in nificantissue in that area and along the right­ 6,000 ft. (1,828 m) of new trnck in New Rail. The firstyear funding of $12 millionis reduced corridor air poUution e1nissions; ot�way, which is not a public way. In fact. no Bedford. The locations are: High Street, 10 securedata collection,r preliminarydesign electric trninsaccelerate and decelerate more one should be walking along the tr.icks or Elm Street and Copicut Road along lhe Fall to suppon the envio1unen1al permi1ting quickly. resulting in bener commute times; near the tmcks al any lime. Once this bridge River Secondary in Fr�town; Dean Street proces.� through1he summer of 20 IS. and they gener.illyrequire less maintenance. is replaced. the. lempor.uy road will no in Taunton: and Nash Road in New Elec11ic energythat powers the trains can be longer be necessary, and ac<..·esscan then be Bedford. SoilSamples sourced from wind power ru1d other green �fely resuictcd."" The project also will make signal In some areas. the soil borings collect­ sources. improvements at the Dean Street/Arlington edr reveal that additional structural support When the pr(}ject was announced, then­ NewRail Crossings Sn-cet intersection in Taunton and the Nash fom footings. piers and other aids must Gov. Deval L. P.,1a'ick said. '·sout11 Coast res­ Some of these bridges have inadequate Road/Church Street intersection in New be inwrporated into the construction ident� deserve the benelitsof a reliable and vectical clearance over roadways. while Olh· Bedford. The grade lTOssings will be design. The new nti I route that has been convenfont co1mection to Bos1on and points ers are in poor condition and have been out equipped with the latest safetywimling tech­ selected is called the Stoughton (after the in between. l11is work is anolher step in a of service for decades. DOT crews - with nology and will accommoclate fu1ure com­ i:l!yl Elecuic Al1emative. The U.S. Army methodical, comprehensiveproces� that will workers from Cardi Corp. and other sub­ muter rnil service. Corps of Engineer.- idenlified thisroute as move South Coast Rail forward." contrncto,s.have been removing and replac­ 11ie estimat.il auvel time between New 1he le-ast "environmentally damaging prac­ Patrick left office after eighl yeari; in ing the.o.e older bridges 10 support freight Bedfordand Bost011 (Sliuth Slatiunl is about tic.ible South Co.1$t Rail aligrunent and Jmmaiy. service while St;1ging the al'ea for commuter 77 minute�. From Fall River. the trip is esti­ mode."' The MBTA is wort..;ng with new Gov. mil to Boston. mated to take around 75 minutes. Tllis will The agencies made such detenninations Charlie Baker on furure improvements and Through summer and autumn, MassDOT. be a boon for commuters who routinely take bused on a comprehensive evaluation of South Coast Rail maintenance as tlie project now under the supervisionof the MBTA. is two hours to get to the city where parking multiple factors. including ridership, travel will 1101 be finished by the end of Baker's consuucting grade 1.-T(l�oing upgrade�. mil­ also is at a premium. times. biodiversity, wetlands, land use. noise fiJ);Ltern1. road btidge replacements. track improve­ The 120-month timeline. which began in and vibration, water resources. us well as For more infonnation. visit ments and shoiing up the bridge areas over June 2014. held fortwo yearsof preliminaiy visual and socioecononlic impacl, which www.mass.gov/,oulhcoasLr..til. major arteries like President Avenue in Fall engineeting and pem1it1ing. Lwo-pltt�-years will include a new vital li1eline II) Lhrcecitie­ (This story also can be found on River.