MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

Thanks for the responses. Looking at the Phase I/II maps, it looks like the crossover switch(es) just west of Peters Blvd may be the boundary between the two phases. If that's correct the track work east of there is all Phase I and anything to the west is part of Phase ii. Once the switch(es) at Peters and the ones that went in earlier in the month between Ocean and Pond are done they can start removing the current KO-1 switch, the CI-1 and CI-2 Interlockings, and tie in all the new track segments in the Phase I territory. If the signals and switch controls are in place they should be able to utilize the double track line from Peters Blvd to KO station while Phase II is under construction. If they prioritize Phase II East (two short segments on either side of the existing double track segment between Brentwood and Deer Park) we could end up with the eastern 5/8 of the project up and running in short order as long as the signals and control circuits are functional.

In addition to that track work they will be doing the following:

1.) Slight reconfiguration of KO Interlocking with a switch or two added.
2.) Elimination of the switch East of CI.
3.) Elimination of the Brentwood switch.
4.) Reconfiguring JS Interlocking West of Deer Park from a Y-switch to two crossovers (Amityville-Wantagh type).
5.) Construction of a new interlocking West of Wyandanch. (Probably called DANCH Interlocking)
6.) Construction of a second platform at Wyandanch since the configuration of the station is only one track and one platform.
7.) They've completed the conversion of the LI Avenue/Conklin St./Wellwood Ave. intersections to a roundabout.
8.) Reconfiguring the setup of Pinelawn station.

MattAmity90 wrote:I have people on Flickr, with some of them as buddies, and one of them who posts photos of the progress of the project just posted a whole new batch. This was done during this past weekend's outage:

1.) A crossover switch was installed just to the West of the Peter's Blvd. grade crossing, there was something said that from the 17th-18th outage that they put a crossover switch in between the Pond Rd. and the Ocean Ave. crossings.

2.) Track vehicles were laying down welded rails on the South side of the ROW just East of Brentwood, they were not laying down ties with a NTC machine, they were using a rail feeder vehicle. Also they have not added any additional ballast.

Some of the photos were taken from the Brentwood High School gym field.

MA90:

1-That explains the work activities just W of the Peters Boulevard crossing this past weekend.
2-Only welded rails are being placed for installation. There have been no concrete ties placed
west from the new switch installation towards Brentwood.

The two schools just east of Brentwood on the south side of the track(s) are the East Middle
School and East Kindergarten Center (formerly an elementary school).

Brentwood High School - Ross and Sonderling Buildings - is west of the Second Street crossing
south of the tracks off of Third Avenue.

How about posting the link for the Ronkonkoma Branch Second Track Flickr pictures?
There are LIRR Forum members here that would be interested to see these photos...

MACTRAXX

Sorry, I don't know the school map of Brentwood very well, all I know is that it was taken from a school's athletic field. Also found out there will be two weekend outages in July: July 15th-16th and the 22nd-23rd. It's that time in which we crank the afterburners and get to work by drinking cup after cup of coffee, or for the youth workers Red Bull, Monster, 5-Hour Energy, or any of those disgusting energy drinks. This is going to be a very productive Summer and Fall for the LIRR at this rate. I'm hoping the following are finished by the time the dreaded white stuff starts falling:

1.) Wantagh's Phase I of its' platform rehabilitation is completed.
2.) Service is up by a good margin at Hicksville, and I'm stunned.
3.) That the second track between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip is fully electrified with the third rail installed, with possible double track service for the first two stops completed.
4.) The Post Avenue bridge replacement in Westbury goes swiftly without issue.

The outages scheduled are Jul 8/9 and 15/16.

Don't forget the Montauk signal cutover, currently scheduled for Veteran's Day weekend.

Photos of the work done during this past weekend. Credit goes to Edward Hand.

More photos.

The Edward Hand photos:

1-Looking east from the Peters Boulevard crossing in Central Islip
2,3-The switch installation track work just west of Peters Boulevard
4-Looking east from the Brentwood Station north platform
5-From the East Middle School field looking northeast
6-Looking west towards Brentwood from the Islip Avenue crossing at a welded rail train

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:The Edward Hand photos:

1-Looking east from the Peters Boulevard crossing in Central Islip
2,3-The switch installation track work just west of Peters Boulevard
4-Looking east from the Brentwood Station north platform
5-From the East Middle School field looking northeast
6-Looking west towards Brentwood from the Islip Avenue crossing at a welded rail train

MACTRAXX

That is correct, and I saw yesterday from another photo taken at Mineola of a MP15 carrying welded rails. As far as crossovers go, they said one was going to be installed at Ronkonkoma in between its' two grade crossings, and now the one to the West of Peters Boulevard. I know for a fact that the switch at Brentwood is going to be eliminated when all is said and done and converted to just two straight tracks.

MattAmity90 wrote:In addition to that track work they will be doing the following:
7.) They've completed the conversion of the LI Avenue/Conklin St./Wellwood Ave. intersections to a roundabout.

I was in the area today, so I drove by to see if they converted the intersection to a true roundabout (meaning no frigging traffic lights - similar to the Jones Beach roundabout at the intersection of the Wantagh Parkway and Ocean Parkway, surrounding the water tower).
Nope, all they did is move the East End of Conklin north about 100m and the West End of LI Ave. south about 20m so they meet and cross Wellwood at a standard 4-way signalized intersection. Oddly enough, the routing on Google Maps shows the new configuration, while the Satellite images still are the old images.

Sir Ray wrote:Nope, all they did is move the East End of Conklin north about 100m and the West End of LI Ave. south about 20m so they meet and cross Wellwood at a standard 4-way signalized intersection. Oddly enough, the routing on Google Maps shows the new configuration, while the Satellite images still are the old images.

I am under the impression that roundabouts are frowned upon anywhere in the US. Most drivers do not like them, so I am not surprised that no roundabout was created. There are roundabouts all over Europe as a way to force lower speeds and to avoid placing traffic lights in less trafficked locations.

It looked like a roundabout to me, but I had no idea that it wasn't.

Ronkonkoma Outage this weekend July 8-9. From 12:37 AM 7/8 to 12:21 AM 7/10.

No service between Ronkonkoma and Brentwood because of siding installation work. I'm not sure what siding installation work is, but does it involve installation of more third rail, the NTC, or something like that?

EuroStar wrote:

Sir Ray wrote:Nope, all they did is move the East End of Conklin north about 100m and the West End of LI Ave. south about 20m so they meet and cross Wellwood at a standard 4-way signalized intersection. Oddly enough, the routing on Google Maps shows the new configuration, while the Satellite images still are the old images.

I am under the impression that roundabouts are frowned upon anywhere in the US. Most drivers do not like them, so I am not surprised that no roundabout was created. There are roundabouts all over Europe as a way to force lower speeds and to avoid placing traffic lights in less trafficked locations.

Roundabouts are in development in many states. I believe there are now close to 6,000 nationally. They are being pushed by the federal US Dept of Transportation, by the way

Edward Hand posted more photos of the project, with these being taken during this past weekend's outage.

More: The other photo he took just shows the second track laid West of Ocean Avenue, and ballast has not been laid down to the West.