Railway Track & Structures - May 2008 - (Page 5)

INDUSTRY TODAY MBTA is upgrading its Merrimack River Bridge near Haverhill, Mass. MBTA advances Merrimack River Bridge project The MBTA Board of Directors has approved a $3-million contract as part of a project to repair and rehabilitate the Merrimack River Bridge in Haverhill, Mass. Commuter Rail trains on the MBTA’s Haverhill Line travel over the bridge seven days a week. The Merrimack River Bridge is the only bridge in the MBTA system with a similar design as the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis last summer. The proposal includes design and construction, and the entire project would be expected to last approximately four years. “As the only bridge in the MBTA system with a similar deck truss design as the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis, it is a top priority of the T’s Bridge Management Program,” said MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas. “This project is required to ensure the continued safe operation of Commuter Rail service, and to extend the structure’s useful life, reduce future maintenance costs, eliminate speed restrictions, and enhance the structural integrity of the bridge.” Also, Grabauskas, in collaboration with the T’s Groundwater Action Plan Team, announced a long-term solution to address groundwater concerns along the Southwest Corridor. Comprised of www.rtands.com representatives from the City of Boston, state agencies and the community, the Groundwater Action Plan Team, over a two-year period, has worked collaboratively with the MBTA to share ideas and provide recommendations to address low groundwater levels in the area near Back Bay Station. Over the next six years, the MBTA will invest $3 million to design and install a groundwater recharge well system, as well as to design and model a cutoff wall to prevent the flow of groundwater into the corridor. Presently, the short-term solution continues to raise groundwater levels in an area where they have been low for several years through a series of recharge wells located on Cazenove, Charles and Berkeley Streets. “Having such a diverse group of stakeholders sharing ideas, making recommendations and, overall, displaying such a commitment to this effort is what drove the process,” Grabauskas said. “Their work has ensured that a viable solution will become reality.” The design of the recharge system and the cut-off wall will begin this fall. An additional recommendation from the Team includes the reuse of water from the MBTA Follen Street Pumping Railway Track & Structures May 2008 5 http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - May 2008 On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D NRC In Good Shape to Face Upcoming Challenges Pipe Ramming Can Aid Drainage Conrail Building to Handle Booming Northern New Jersey Traffic Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - May 2008

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