Steel is the workhorse solution for railroad bridges. This session includes a presentation on the design and construction challenges associated with a new 90 ft long single span through plate girder railroad bridge where both substructures are skewed at 70 degrees to the roadway below. The second presentation discusses the recent application of steel filler beam decks for rapid emergency replacements of rail undergrade structures in a highly congested urban area.

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This session covers the accelerated design, fabrication, and construction of the Merchants Bridge in St. Louis.

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Efficient constructability and future maintenance of steel bridges are important aspects for railroad bridge owners, for which a significant portion of their inventories are steel bridges.

This session focuses on the constructability of new bridges and the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing bridges. The new AREMA/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration Constructability Guideline provides a supplementary resource for project teams that elaborates on the design, fabrication, and construction of steel railroad bridges. The Guide discusses alternatives such as cross section types, corrosion protection measures, and construction techniques to facilitate constructability of bridges.

The second presentation shares a steel bridge rehabilitation and repair project that occurred while maintaining train traffic on the bridge, while extending the service life of the bridge for many years to come.

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Steel plays an important role in railroad bridges, and this session will include two presentations about that role. The first session is a presentation on the Dry Canyon Bridge that caught fire and required closure of the structure. The second is CMGC's delivery of the Walk Bridge Program.

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All aboard! We'll explore two innovative railroad bridge solutions in this session.

First, we'll introduce a study involving the development of steel deck panel alternative to concrete- or timber-ballasted decks in railroad bridges. The concept is being developed into a standard design for low-clearance ballasted deck panels. We'll discuss the adaptability of the standard panel, the various shapes and configurations being used, a brief background on deck design, comparison against other deck panel systems, and sample project installations. Ultimately one can design, fabricate, and construct a complete steel bridge superstructure system for rail girder bridges using these ideas.

We will then discuss the construction engineering and execution of the accelerated replacement of 105-year-old double-track steel through truss and open deck girder approaches with single-track ballasted deck girder spans during a planned 56-hour rail closure. The general replacement scheme involved driving the new main span across an approach span and onto the truss main span using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) before transferring the weight of both the existing truss and new girder main spans to jacking towers. The end panels of the truss were removed so that the entire system could be lowered until the new main span was supported on the existing bents. The team developed a roll-in system to support the SPMTs during drive-in and drive-out and to distribute the loads such that no existing members were overloaded.

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Railroad track outages have a significant impact on the rail transportation industry. When outages are known in advance, they can be accommodated. When the outages occur as a result of natural disasters, the impact is significantly amplified. In either case, the replacement of rail bridges needs to occur quickly. This session will discuss the replacement of two rail bridges, one planned and one a surprise.

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Steel bridges have been the workhorse of the railroad industry for more than 100 years and continue to provide value and flexibility for rail owners. We will explore the evaluation of the fatigue life of existing steel bridges and a unique rail bridge repair project of a historic Swing Span bridge.

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