Cape Flyer

Very good link. Thank you!

Rockingham Racer wrote:Very good link. Thank you!

You are welcome as it has a lot of info to read. Drove by Cohasset Narrows RR bridge this afternoon and no crane / barge on site yet. I would think construction activity should pick up very soon seeing that only 2 month's remain to complete the project on time.

Cohasset Narrows RR Bridge construction activity picking up but no crane / barge on site yet. Mass Coastal 2007 with 4 C&D cars from Otis heading off Cape was stopped at the Buzzards Bay Station for a short period as JF White crews cleared the line for passage over the bridge.

First section of new Cohasset narrows RR bridge installed last night and ties being put in place for Rail placement so passage will be ready for tomorrow's morning train to the Cape.

I love watching construction & construction pictures, and learning how things are made. I always assumed they fabricated the entire section offsite or in a factory, with the only variable being the length. Hoist into place = done. By welding the sidewalls on-site I guess they can use a smaller crane? Very interesting that they are using new granite blocks, which last much longer in seawater than cement.

They more than likely could pre fabricate the bridge off site if the rail line were to be shut down. It is required to be available for Rail passage on a schedule for SEMASS and C&D shipments, especially since the Bourne Bridge is under construction and the last thing we need is more trucks on the road. The granite blocks are original being repaired /repointed at seams and existing on site crane or a 2nd crane will be put on a barge as they move towards the other side due too no staging space. There is supposed to be some new abutment work on the other side according to the bid specs and rehabilitation work done on each pier as well. Lots of work to do and The Cape Flyer season isn't too far away.

I would assume it would be faster to prefabricate everything except the rails than to assemble in-place. Then lay the rails in-place so that it lines up exactly.

The Cohasset Narrows railroad bridge superstructure replacement project documents can be found on commbuys.com:

https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/b ... zqLLDZ0KN0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

View the specification documents on the link that have been previously posted for specific construction details on how the bridge is to be built. Seeing that the bridge was built in 1912 with various repairs to it over the years the new replacement is sure to be a much needed upgrade for future RR traffic. But no matter how you look at it, the reconstruction project is specified to be completed by May 10th 2019, just 38 days and counting. JF White Construction is an experienced company with a lot of big projects completed over the years, so more than likely it will be done on time. In the days ahead will be watching the construction progress so the Cape Flyer will have a new bridge to cross next month.

J.F. White also did the Longfellow Bridge project and the Fore River Bridge project, both of which blew well past their deadlines...

Of course, those were on a slightly different scale than a single-track railroad bridge.

MBTA3247 wrote:Of course, those were on a slightly different scale than a single-track railroad bridge.

Seeing that the Cohasset Narrows RR bridge is double track, all they need to get in service is one track if there is a delay. So we will see what the outcome is on May 10th. Update @ 11:15 am - Bridge is passable today as I saw MC 2007 on the Falmouth Secondary line headed out to Otis to pick up a load of C&D cars.

My mistake on the number of tracks, it only looked like a single-track bridge from the construction photos.

MBTA3247 wrote:Of course, those were on a slightly different scale than a single-track railroad bridge.

They certainly are. Just a note of realism in relation to the belief that the completion date is set in stone...until the work is done, dates on paper are not promises.

Cohasset Narrows RR Bridge update : 2nd bridge span in place looks like barge will not be needed as crane is now sitting on the new bridge section working it's way across to the other side. Welded rail is staged in between existing rails for upcoming installation on the Onset side of bridge.