If everything goes according to plan, motorists will again be able to travel unimpeded east of Moran on U.S. 54 in March, once a railroad overpass work has progressed sufficiently.
Crews are scheduled to place the bridge deck spanning the Union Pacific Railroad corridor on Tuesday, noted Ben Middleton, engineering technician specialist with the Kansas Department of Transportation.
“But that also can change,” Middleton warned.
Much like other road and bridge projects taking place in the winter months, schedules typically are dictated by the weather.
Couple that with stringent rules and regulations covering construction over an active rail line, schedules can, and often do, change at a moment’s notice.
In fact, crews had hoped to place the deck this week, but were unable to do so because of UP’s train schedule.
Union Pacific rules prohibit any work over the tracks if a train is passing, and it takes about two hours for crews to put together the protective measures before the work can start.
A U.S. Department of Transportation study noted an average of 13 trains pass along the tracks daily.
That leaves extremely limited work windows to do anything near, or over the tracks, Middleton noted.
Once the deck is placed, road surface work will commence almost immediately thereafter.
If it goes without a hitch, traffic could be allowed to cross the span March 2, Middleton said, with full project completion scheduled for May.
The most recent U.S. Department of Transportation study, completed in 2017, noted nearly 700 vehicles cross the overpass daily, including more than 50 trucks.
