Joliet, IL

Customer
Union Pacific Railroad

RailWorks Business Unit
RailWorks Track Services

Description
RailWorks handled the entire $9.8 million track infrastructure for a new UP intermodal facility in Joliet, Ill.

Scope
Track materials furnished by Union Pacific Railroad were delivered to the site by rail, where RailWorks crews received, unloaded, stockpiled and later distributed them for track and turnout construction.

RailWorks constructed 242,000 feet of new track using continuous welded rail (CWR) and constructed 59 wood-tie and steel-tie turnouts with welded joints. In addition, RailWorks installed more than a mile (5,380 feet) of concrete grade crossing panels of various lengths throughout the project, and constructed two, double-point derails.

Unique features
RailWorks constructed new temporary track to allow material-delivery trains access to the property while at the same time keeping the railroad's main line active without any service disruption. Bridges were built, roads were relocated and utilities were installed, all of which required highly detailed scheduling and planning. The project staff worked diligently with the railroad's on-site representative to coordinate logistics and maintain the construction schedule.

The Joliet facility increases Union Pacific's international and domestic container capacity tremendously. The construction enables workers to sort, stage, load and unload up to 107 double-stack cars per day making it this railroad's largest facility of this kind in the United States.

Other participants
Ragnar Benson Construction Company – general contractor