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September 9, 2017 • Vol. XX • No. 18 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
Inside
Firm Tackles Two Contracts on $1.9B Rail Line By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
Nebraska Fir m Takes on New Wor k…10
Nor tr ax Celebrates New Flagship Store…14
Nonprofits Use Equipment for Annu al Pr oj ect…16
Table of Contents ............4 Underground Utility, Trenchers, Trench Boxes & Utilities Section ....41-47 Snow & Ice Section ..59-64 Paving Section ..........83-97 Auction Section....102-111 Business Calendar ......104 Advertisers Index ........110
Millstone Weber LLC crews are tackling two major contracts for the renovation and upgrade of more than 400 mi. of Union Pacific linking St. Louis and Chicago via the High Speed Rail Tier 1 South. The High Speed Rail Tier 1 South is a more than $46 million contract and runs from Godfrey to Shipman, and the HSR Tier 5 is more than $8 million and runs from east St. Louis to Alton, Mo. In fact, Millstone Weber has completed several sections of this route. The project involves infrastructure improvements and adding new track to handle increased capacity, including commuter rail traffic. “The upgrade is for Amtrak,” said Kellan Comte, Millstone Weber’s project manager for both contracts. “They’re doing upgrades on the entire corridor. We had four of the contracts and these last two are adjacent to each to each other.” Union Pacific is investing considerable resources for the corridor upgrade initiative. The majority of the $1.9 billion plus St. Louis-Chicago rail upgrade is primarily funded by the federal government’s high speed rail program, which is replacing track and adding around 56 miles of new
Millstone Weber photo
The project involves infrastructure improvements and adding new track to handle increased capacity, including commuter rail traffic.
track to create more double-track sections. Other aspects include installing fences for one-third of the route and upgrading 234 of level crossings. A 2015 breakdown of the costs had $757 million allocated for
track and infrastructure, $218 million for level crossing upgrades and $414 for rolling stock. Union Pacific owns and runs most of the line between Joliet and St. Louis. The Tier 1 work covers 23 mi., and consists of installing new rail.
Railworks is installing 15 mi. of new track and Collins & Hermann is installing 35,000 ft. of fence. Red Ants is installing new jack and bore culverts under the tracks, and Millstone Weber is performing the see MILLSTONE page 54
Federal Transportation Secretary Visits Ind. SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) The federal transportation secretary visited northern Indiana and attended events regarding an Indiana Toll Road improvement project and planned upgrades to the South Shore commuter railroad. The Indiana governor’s office said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao joined Gov. Eric Holcomb and other officials at the Aug. 29 events. The first was a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Granger for $200 million
in repaving and bridge repairs on the privately run Indiana Toll Road that started last year. That will be followed by a meeting discussing plans for the South Shore line that links South Bend and Chicago. Federal funding is being sought to help pay for plans including a $290 million project to add a second track between Gary and Michigan City. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)