"Colton Crossing is set for construction next month"

[cabcar]

It looks like construction on the new fly-over at the diamonds will finally be starting up next month. Supposedly on 11/8 ~ We'll see how that date holds up. Also, another interesting mention in the article is the relocation of the UP branch that runs down the middle of 9th street. Here's the article from the Press Enterprise:

http://www.pe.com/local-news/transportat...tory336384

Quote:COLTON: Rail overpass prompts other projects
The $202 million Colton Crossing is set for construction next month, with an underpass and track relocation to follow

A railroad overpass in Colton that will start construction later this year will end a major freight bottleneck. But just getting it to the point of construction will mean improvements for city residents.

Though separate from the Colton Crossing project to raise Union Pacific’s east-west line over the BNSF Railway’s north-south track, a planned Laurel Street underpass and a quiet zone in the city also are in the planning stages.

As part of the deal with the railroads to garner public support for the railroad overpass, Union Pacific and BNSF agreed to support the other projects. San Bernardino Associated Governments is planning the other projects, the last of which is expected to start 18 months after construction begins on the Colton Crossing.

SANBAG officials will discuss plans for the other improvements tomorrow at the agency’s monthly meeting. Colton city officials will discuss the improvements tonight during a city council meeting, after a report by SANBAG officials.

A Nov. 8 groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for the Colton Crossing project. The $202 million overpass will eliminate a freight bottleneck where trains must wait for cross-track traffic to clear. The project, paid for mostly with $125 million in state and federal funds, will allow trains to proceed through Colton without stopping, which local officials and the railroads say will improve air quality and result in fewer city streets blocked by trains.

But transportation officials and city leaders said other improvements around the tracks were needed to make driving safer and easier. Many residents said at public meetings last year that trains blowing their horns are the biggest annoyance. SANBAG officials also negotiated with the railroads to support other projects so drivers would not wait for passing trains in some locations.

“It is a quality of life issue,” said SANBAG spokesman Tim Watkins.

Before the California Transportation Commission would approve more than $90 million in state bond funds last year, commissioners said they would need to see more public benefit from the project. The agreement between SANBAG, Colton and the railroads was part of securing that state approval.

Colton will close off E and H streets at the railroad tracks to eliminate vehicle crossings, and BNSF will pay $100,000 of the $1.7 million cost to improve train gates at city streets so locomotives will not be required to blow their horns when passing through parts of the city.

The biggest changes will be the underpass planned at Laurel Street and the removal of a railroad line that runs along Ninth Street, said Colton City Manager Rod Foster.

“That is a big deal,” Foster said of removing the tracks that go down the street. “Relocating that line takes care of a lot of problems.”

SANBAG will pay most of the cost of the Laurel and Ninth street projects, using local and state funds. Removing the Ninth Street tracks owned by Union Pacific and moving them adjacent to the BNSF tracks is expected to cost $7 million. The agreement between the railroads and SANBAG requires work to move the tracks to start within 18 months of beginning work on the Colton Crossing.

The planned underpass at Laurel Street also will start within 18 months of Colton Crossing construction, said Paul Melocoton, project manager. Plans call for an underpass for the six railroad tracks that cross the street, at an estimated cost of $50 million.

When the project is complete, Eighth Street near the tracks will be a dead end on both sides of Laurel.

Local businesses will have access to their properties, Watkins said, and officials believe no companies will be displaced by the project. Laurel will close for 18 to 24 months during construction.

“I think the public impact is going to be minimal,” Foster said.

Here's a couple pics showing the Colton diamonds. All pics are looking East along the UP Yuma Sub:

       

--Robert

[Brasscollector]

Interesting news.

Must be why the ex-SP Depot at Colton is now abandoned and looks like it's about to be demolished. Looks like the Gypsum/drywall company that was located at the depot has moved out.

So go get your pictures of this depot now...before its gone for good.

[erielackawanna]

Pretty sure that business moved out of the Colton depot well over five years ago (maybe more). It's been boarded up for quite a long time.

[Axy_Dent]

This flyover can't be built fast enough.

Axy

[ybx]

(10-05-2011 07:18 AM)Axy_Dent Wrote:  This flyover can't be built fast enough.

Axy

Virgil Earp shared your sentiment.

[chris_wlkr]

Guess you should have been on the board. It would have been approved and funded a lot sooner with your first hand knowledge.

[orange choo choo]

How long do trains typicallly have to wait before crossing the diamonds?

It will be nice to see monster stack trains traversing the flyover though I'm not sure it will be as high or as long as the Redondo flyover since it only has to cross BNSF's N/S line.

[MrMRL]

Nine times out of ten, the BNSF trains I've been on haven't stopped. If we did stop it seemed to typically be for less than 10-15 minutes. Then again, BNSF's stopped trains don't block any public crossings in the area.

Mr. MRL.

[MikeF]

(10-07-2011 07:10 AM)orange choo choo Wrote:  How long do trains typicallly have to wait before crossing the diamonds?
It will be nice to see monster stack trains traversing the flyover though I'm not sure it will be as high or as long as the Redondo flyover since it only has to cross BNSF's N/S line.

Buried in SANBAG's crappy website (link) are a few informative documents. The Final Project Report has extensive preliminary prints of the new track layouts and flyover elevations. The BNSF tracks actually dip in elevation near the crossover (see sheet P018) so the flyover doesn't need to be as high.
Related agreements don't appear to have been officially finalized and posted yet. The Valley Blvd separation probably has been deferred until the flyover construction is near completion.

--Mike - just use C Street

[chris_wlkr]

Back to the topic at hand folks. Anything not relevant was removed. I would like this topic open for discussion, but it needs to stay on the diamond, not Valley Blvd or some pipe dream irrelevant garbage John and Ken are shoveling this week or last on something they know nothing about.

Thanks,

Chris