Construction and Projects

A few tidbits on some of the BNSF projects:

Reconstruction of the Harlem Ave platforms have begun as the eastern part of the south platform has been torn up.

Platforms at both LaVergne and Downers Grove-Fairview Ave are progressing along. One thing I've noticed about both stations' platforms is once the concrete is poured and the tactile is installed the top layer of the platform is paved with asphalt.

Advance contract work for the Belmont Rd underpass in D.G. continues. The road just north of the tracks and west of Belmont Rd. was closed for a few months while water main work was being performed. That road was reopened in the past few days. An auto repair shop located at that same intersection was also torn down. According to http://downers.us/page/view/268 24% of advance contract work has been completed.

Here are some pictures of some of the work being done at Belmont Rd:

Belmont Rd looking south:


Temporary parking lot east of Belmont Rd and north of the tracks:


This sign is placed west of Belmont Rd about a half block north of the tracks:


This is what used to be an auto repair shop. West side of Belmont Rd looking south:


Work now being done on the east side of Belmont Rd south of the tracks. Eventually the Belmont Rd runaround will be built here:


Edit: Here's a pic of the LaVergne shelter from Monday 2-16-09:

MetraBNSF wrote:Platforms at both LaVergne and Downers Grove-Fairview Ave are progressing along. One thing I've noticed about both stations' platforms is once the concrete is poured and the tactile is installed the top layer of the platform is paved with asphalt.

This is the case with all recent platforms, there is no longer any concrete separation between the tactile and the asphalt. I noticed this first when Metra rebuild Robbins a good year ago if not longer.

Its also interesting the variation of parking prices throughout the system. $3.00 is by far the most expensive I have seen parking. Parking at all stations between Midlothian and Joliet remain at $1.00.

Parking tends to be a bit cheaper the further out you go. Folks pay more in Midlothian because it's in Cook County. 'nuff said...

Don't want to drift too much off topic, but daily fee parking at Naperville (5th Ave station downtown and North Rt. 59) and Aurora (South Rt. 59) is $2.00. Both are usually filled by 7:30am. And these are towns with 5-10 year long waiting lists for permits.

Lake Forest's stations are $4.50. Has any work began on the Highlands station yet or Stone Avenue?

No work at either station has started yet.

Additional renderings are out of what is going to become 80th Avenues future:

View looking east along ROW

Not sure if I like the idea of the 'thing' over the tracks... There is something similar in Highland Park on UP-N.

View looking southwest from oppisite platform

Yeah, not sure what benefit that arch is going to have. Probably just cause extra delays the next time we get a once-every-15-years tornado in the south suburbs, when it flies off of its anchorings and onto the tracks. Unless it's supposed to be a canopy of some sort, like often seen in the UK. That would be nice.

Interesting locomotive in that rendering, too. No ditch lights, but three regular headlights? Metra units aren't that hard to find pictures of...

Looks like 2 control points on the BNSF are slated for renewal in 2009 along with the possible reactivation of a third control point. No construction has started yet but both the East and West Naperville control points will be renewed. A new signal bridge was installed at the East Naperville plant governing westbound movements a few years ago.

The control point at I-355 (East Lisle) might be reactivated which has to do with the Belmont Grade seperation project. I can see why this control point was deactivated in the first place but it looks like it'll be needed, especially when there's going to be 2-track operation for a 90 day period during the height of the project.

Wood Dale will soon be getting a new station.

Simple, but looks pretty nice.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/image/ ... &id=295563#

Now Morton Grove and Franklin Park are going to look bad.

Metra put some updates of new station projects online, which is updated about twice a year...

http://metrarail.com/Service_Advisories ... jects.html

Rode the Rock today (well, at least the portion between Joliet and Blue Island), and saw what appeared to be an upgrade of the Oak Park Ave. grade crossing in Tinley Park. All service was single tracked east of New Lenox due the construction, MT 1 (south track) was OOS; in fact, a 25-30 foot portion of MT 1 in the immediate vicinity of the crossing had been totally removed while the workers were ballasting the ROW. Meanwhile, NIRC 5 was doing the honors, stationed just east of the depot with three METX lettered ballast hoppers in tow, wonder if that had trekked all the way from 47th St. Looked like one of those "weekend maintenance blitzes", but it still looked interesting nonetheless...

Metra begins work on new Lovana S. “Lou” Jones/Bronzeville station

It will be interesting to see how many trains will stop at this station. Theres seems to be a heavy political influence on what happens at 35th Street. Hopefully the area surrounding the station area will under-go change as well.

More details about the Route 59 project, slated to start soon. Lots of ADA-related upgrades...


http://www.ci.naperville.il.us/route59s ... ments.aspx