With the arrival of spring, hundreds of road construction projects are getting underway across Iowa, while another form of transportation is also gearing up for some major work. Mark Davis, spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad, says a big infrastructure project is about to launch. “We have started work on our track between downtown Omaha and on the line that goes through Council Bluffs and follows the highway up to Missouri Valley,” Davis says. “We’re starting to work on that. It’s a$4.5-million project.”
Davis says at least 29 road crossings will be resurfaced as part of the project so there -will- be an impact on motorists as the project progresses. “We’ll be replacing some ties along that line, around 32,000 concrete ties along with 16,600 tons of rock,” he says. The goals of the project include: improving train operating efficiency, reducing motorist wait time at crossings and enhancing safety. It should be complete by May.
He says it’s among some 1,500 projects the Omaha-based railroad will undertake this year across its 30,000 mile network. Between 2007 and 2013, Davis says the U.P. has invested more than $21-billion in its infrastructure.
By Karla James