Railroad relocation reaches
final stage
By Richard Payne
Staff
Writer
There has been a lot of construction in Lafayette
lately.
The 16th and final Indiana Department of Transportation
contract for the Lafayette Railroad Relocation Project is underway.
Tracks that once ran through the heart of the city have now been replaced
with rubble and construction debris.
"Greater Lafayette community worked for years
to make this happen," said Elizabeth Solberg, project manager for
the relocation project.
A totally new street, along with new sewers, will
be installed in the vacancies left by the old tracks, said Solberg.
"There will be a focal point at the corner
of 11th and Main," said Solberg.
The sewers that will be built in the city will
create a storm sewer separate from those that contain sewage.
The contractor, Gradex, Inc. of Indianapolis, gave
the lowest bid at $8.4 million dollars for the two-year project.
According to Solberg, 17 different locations will
be torn up throughout the two-year span of the project. Some streets
will be closed temporarily to add the new streets, re-grade old streets,
and add the sewers. Main streets that have four lanes will be narrowed
to two lanes, to avoid closure, said Solberg.
Some areas will be closed twice, once to put in
the new sewers and the next to re-grade streets. Re-grading the streets
will eliminate the bumps associated with crossing railroad crossings.
Railroad crossings, like those on State Road 26,
have the road aligned for the train, making the surface very flat and
smooth for the passing train but bumpy for the drivers going over, said
Solberg.
"Since there are no more trains, there’s
no need to have these bumps," said Solberg.
No set schedule for construction has been made.
"We ask for patience as traffic detours are
put into effect," said Solberg. "There will be one complication
per area."
On April 6, 2001, the last train to travel the
tracks in the center of Lafayette passed through the city, officially
closing 41 railroad crossings. Alternate tracks were constructed on
the outside of the city to redirect the trains around the city.
"The greater Lafayette community worked for
years to make this happen," said Solberg.
Construction could last until mid-2003.
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