Railroad Forums 

  • Pine Point overhead bridge (Scarborough)

  • Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1062862  by MEC407
 
Despite inspections that reveal the bridge to be in surprisingly good condition, Maine DOT officials are moving forward with plans to rehab or replace the Pine Point Road Bridge in Scarborough, Maine. The bridge carries Pine Point Road over Pan Am's mainline. The road is quite busy, especially in the summer, and provides the most direct access to the Pine Point area of Scarborough. Replacing or rehabbing the bridge, which may not happen until 2014-2015, will be an interesting challenge, especially if they do the work during the summer months. (Pine Point is a major tourist destination.)

Article from this week's Forecaster:
The Forecaster wrote:Coombs and MDOT Project Engineer Stephen Bodge are seeking public comment on what needs to be done to improve or replace the 57-year-old span during preliminary engineering work.
...
If Pine Point Road is closed for bridge work, drivers would be detoured through Old Orchard Beach or along Ross Road to reach Pine Point or U.S. Route 1.
...
Delays on the road above will also be compounded by rail traffic below; Coombs said any work with heavy equipment has to halt when trains pass. The rails are used by Pan Am freight trains and at least eight daily trips by the Amtrak Downeaster.

Coombs said the contractors on the job will have to station flaggers on the road and rails, which adds to the project's cost.

The four-beam span over the tracks was built in 1955, and is 200 feet long and 28 feet wide from curb to curb. Coombs said a preliminary inspection has suggested the steel beams do not need replacement.

If the assessment changes, the bridge height will have to be increased 3 1/2 feet from the current 19 feet because current federal law requires new bridges to stand at least 22 1/2 feet over railroad tracks.
Read more at: http://www.theforecaster.net/news/print ... dium=email