Project to replace the LAB in Albany

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jis

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This will certainly help otp. Iirc this bridge has malfunctioned on occasion. I read one trip report where an eastbound passenger train detoured on the freight line and crossed the Hudson south of Rensselaer and then backed into the station.
 
It looks from some of the drawings that the bridge is being rebuilt in the exact same location (rather than slightly to one side or the other), suggesting the old one will have to go first rather than remaining in service during construction. I wonder if any temporary measures will be taken to improve Amtrak's access to the freight bridge.
 
It looks from some of the drawings that the bridge is being rebuilt in the exact same location, suggesting the old one will have to go first rather than being "twinned" during construction. I wonder if any temporary measures will be taken to improve Amtrak's access to the freight bridge.
IIRC, the article said it would be built just south of the existing bridge.
 
Are there any other active projects being done on this route right now between Albany and NYC? Just curious how much of the grant money if any is earmarked for speed improvements on the route given it seems to have great potential and could have most of it running at 110mph outside of a few bad curves
 
The bridge sits on pilings placed right after the Civil War, and the current bridge is 120 years old. It is time. As far as I know it is restricted to very slow speeds, and one train at a time, which hurts, since we finally got the area west of the bridge double tracked again.
The Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland was built in 1890, hosts up to 200 trains per day (according to the Wikipedia article), and is apparently good for another 100 years. Of course, it's always being repainted, which may make a difference. My impression of Americal steel rail bridges is that they're all rusty, and that's not Cor-Ten Steel, either.
 
Who builds something, what they decide to build, and how it is maintained differ widely everywhere. The Brooklyn Bridge dates to the same era. It is still going strong. Many bridges, both road and rail that are a lot newer have failed or been replaced. The Forth Road Bridge only lasted 40 years before it was replaced, now only seeing limited use. The choices made at LAB may have saved money at the time, but really limit any chance to reuse it. Movable bridges pose a whole additional set of challenges that fixed spans avoid.
 
Are there any other active projects being done on this route right now between Albany and NYC? Just curious how much of the grant money if any is earmarked for speed improvements on the route given it seems to have great potential and could have most of it running at 110mph outside of a few bad curves
No. Everything is held up by the endless foot dragging by the FRA on signing off on the ROD for the EIS for the entire Empire Corridor. It was supposed to have happened this year but it has now been pushed into the next year, no explanation given. It is going onto 7 years now since the substantive work was completed. Soon it will become obsolete and another one will have to be done. The triumph of bureaucracy over all else.
 
The bridge sits on pilings placed right after the Civil War, and the current bridge is 120 years old. It is time. As far as I know it is restricted to very slow speeds, and one train at a time, which hurts, since we finally got the area west of the bridge double tracked again.
It is not just age, it is maintenance, and that meaning more than a paint job. Near home example:
There are two railroad bridges across the Mississippi River at Memphis, being the middle and northern of three parallel bridges on 200 feet centers. Why so close together? Because this was the only stable location in the river channel for many miles in either direction. From south to north, they are the four lane highway bridge, opened in 1949, the Memphis and Arkansas Bridge. It is now designated for I-55. Next, the middle bridge, the first one built, opened in 1892, (in other words, 130 years old). It is single track, originally planked level with the top of rails so it could be used by wagons between trains. The planking was removed after construction of the second bridge across the river. Originally called simply the Memphis Bridge, it later became known as the Frisco Bridge for its owner, the SLSF Railroad. The west side approach spans were replaced within the last 10 years, but the main river crossing through spans are the originals. The under track steelwork on the main spans has also been replaced within the last several years. It is currently owned by BNSF and operates without load or clearance restriction. The speed limit for many years was 25 mph, and may still be. Due to the track alignment on the Memphis end it was never higher. This was the southernmost bridge across the Lower Mississippi until the Vicksburg Bridge was opened in 1930. The northern bridge of the three is the Harahan Bridge opened in 1916. As originally built it had 2 tracks inside the trusses, placed on 14 feet centers, and two 14? feet wide roadways cantilevered on the outside of the trusses. This was the only road crossing of the River at Memphis until 1949. The south side roadway framing is still in place but the wood deck removed. The north side roadway is now a walking and bike trail. The west side approach spans appear to be the originals. Both tracks remain in service. In the past at times it was referred to as the Rock Island Bridge or the Iron Mountain Bridge. It is owned by Union Pacific and operates today with no load or clearance restrictions. All three of these bridges have a main span of 790 feet. Both these bridges appear rusty, but that is surface only. In years past they were painted, but I believe the last paint job was sometime in the 1950's. The Frisco Bridge was designed by George S. Morison, and was his last major bridge. (His first was the recently replaced Portageville Bridge in New York.) The Harahan Bridge was designed by Ralph Modjeski.
 
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