Update CREATE

dgvrengineer wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:26 pm Six axle locomotives can negotiate a 6% curve at slow speeds without any problems. Many wye tracks at junctions are around 6% and freight trains regularly travel over them usually with a 10mph or so speed limit.

I was talking about elevation rate of change, not horizontal curvature. What does that 6% refer to in the context of horizontal curvature?

Looks like the official groundbreaking on P3 (Forest Hill Flyover) and GS19 (71st Ave. grade separation) took place yesterday. Glad to see it get started.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business ... story.html

If I understand the article, the work is phased, with Forest HIll completed by 2024, at which point the grade separation work starts.

Paywall buster to the rescue!!!!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/const ... r-AA13niU6

Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program - CREATE Program - that site is also non-paywalled.

Its Latest News - CREATE Program now has CREATE Program Partners Celebrate Groundbreaking for Forest Hill Flyover (P3) and 71st Street Grade Separation (GS19) Projects - CREATE Program linking to details in a PDF file

Substantial construction will begin in October 2022 and completion is anticipated for 2024. The 71st Street Grade Separation project is closely interconnected with the P3 project therefore, there are design efficiencies on the projects were done in tandem. After P3 construction is complete, a second section of GS19 will begin construction in 2024.

What makes GS19 have two parts? I couldn't find anything on that.

The projects are the Forest Hill Flyover (P3) and the 71st Street Grade Separation (GS19). CREATE Projects - CREATE Program

It took a lot of searching for me to find what will be going over what, but I succeeded.

• Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle attend Forest Hill Flyover groundbreaking - ABC7 Chicago - 0:40 to 0:46
• Leaders break ground on Forest Hill Flyover Project - 0:57 to 1:02

The CSX tracks, the north-south ones, will be elevated over 71st St. and the east-west tracks at 75th St.

The remaining 75th St. projects are in final design.

• GS11 - Columbus Avenue & Belt Railway Company Grade Separation
• EW2 - 80th Street Junction Replacements
• P2 - Rock Island Connection

From the diagrams, P2 will involve a connection that goes eastward then northeastward from Union Ave., meeting the Rock Island route.

I checked on Google, Bing, and Mapquest to see if there were any updates for the crossing at 75th St. and Bell Ave. between Damen and Western Aves.

Google and Bing still show the prefab temporary track crossings on the side of the tracks, while MapQuest shows the crossings in place and also the temporary tracks in place.

Construction Update - CREATE 75th

• Temporary track construction completed June 2023
• First bridge span set November 2023

This project is P3, and linked with it is GS19: a road underpass for 71th St.

75th Street Corridor Improvement Project Update - Railway Track and Structures - February 06, 2024
It should be done in the third quarter of 2025.

That article has two pictures of the construction: several bridge piers in place for the flyover bridge, and a deck girder being put into place.

Checking on Maps & Schedules | Metra I find that the Southwest Line goes through that crossing. It's weekday-only, but it has some midday runs.

75th Street Corridor
Improvement Project calls the P3 flyover the Forest Hill flyover.

The rest of that project is EW2, some track reconfiguration (Belt Jct., 80th St. Jct.), and P2, a flyover that will connect the Rock Island line to the east-west tracks. That line is currently used by Metra's Rock Island line, and judging from the 75th-St. project page, the Southwest Line will be redirected into that line when P2 and enough of EW2 is done.

There is talk of putting Amtrak Lincoln Service trains onto the Rock Island to improve speed and on-time performance between downtown and Joliet. This would require a new connection and modifications to the station in Joliet though.

Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program - CREATE Program - now headlining project P2: Rock Island Connection (75th Street Corridor Improvement Project) - CREATE Program - still seeking funding.

But P3, the Englewood Flyover, is still continuing construction. A page at a contractor's site has an aerial view of the construction: CREATE P3 Forest Hill Flyover Bridge - TranSystems

CREATE Program Chicago on X: "Construction of the #CREATEProgramChicago's Forest Hill Flyover (P3 project) continues! This rail-rail flyover bridge at 75th Street will eliminate conflicts for both passenger and freight trains traveling through the corridor daily. For more info, visit (link) (pix link)" / X - July 1
with some pictures of the construction.

As far as I can tell, most of the bridge piers are in place, and there is a stretch of bridge deck to the south of the east-west tracks.

VIDEO: Progress made on Chicago freight rail project - Fri, Aug 16, 2024 - VIDEO: Progress made on Chicago freight rail project - FreightWaves - the Forest Hill Flyover

The video in the second link goes from north to south. The viaduct is nearly complete, though it lacks spans over the east-west tracks. An approach ramp is partially done at the southern end, and there is no work on it at the northern end, not even moving the north-to-east connecting track to make way for the viaduct's approach ramp.

The project's home page: FOREST HILL FLYOVER (P3) & 71ST STREET GRADE SEPARATION (GS19)

A belated thanks for the update. If they’re still on track, we’re getting close to completion of a pretty major bottleneck elimination.