The Denver area’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) has announced that a commuter rail bridge on the North Metro Rail Line is being refurbished and will not be built new.
The old rail was removed from the South Platte 3 bridge near East 78th Avenue and Steele Street during summer 2015, but the bulk of the work occurred this past summer.
Crews have sandblasted the abutment and steel beams, applying a galvanized primer and paint to the entire bridge. The footings and abutment walls were formed and drainage pipes were installed and back-filled. Fine grade approach slabs and sleeper slabs were formed to prevent the foundation from contracting and expanding, and a cover plate was placed over the slabs.
North Metro crews will now begin installation of the duct bank, which will serve as a pathway for the wire and fiber optic cables to travel between equipment signals and gates. After the duct bank, another back-fill will take place before the installation of the track panels, ties and hand rails.
North Metro trains will pass over the South Platte River as they travel from Denver Union Station, with trains crossing over the river three times on each run along the line.