October 31, 2018
TWIN CITIES METRO TRANSIT
Hiawatha Light Rail Line
Minneapolis, MN
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION TEAM
General Contractor: Railworks
Owner: Twin Cities Metro Transit
Precaster: Oldcastle Infrastructure
Manufacturing Facility: Oldcastle Infrastructure, Ramsey, MN
The new Minneapolis-Hiawatha Light Rail Line extends 11.4 miles from downtown Minneapolis through Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport to the Mall of America in nearby Bloomington, MN. The track work portion of Railworks Corporation’s contract included embedded, ballasted, direct-fixation track and special track work; the electrical portion; site improvements; traction power system; catenary; signaling, and Oldcastle Infrastructure’s StarTrack grade crossing modules.
CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGE
Oldcastle Infrastructure had extensive experience with manufacturing the StarTrack 17’6” modules allowing fast-track manufacturing and construction. The use of StarTrack on this project allowed Railworks to install crossings quickly which allowed the crossings to open to vehicle traffic before pulling the rail at several of the locations.
PRECAST SOLUTION
Oldcastle Infrastructure designed, engineered, manufactured, shipped, and installed approximately 5,000 linear track feet of their patented Standard StarTrack 17’6” modules for the railroad grade crossings at the Twin Cities Metro Transit – Hiawatha Light Rail Line.
TIME LINE
Design work began in fall, with construction following in late 2001, continuing through 2004.
SCOPE OF WORK
Precast Structure
A. STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Detailed Engineering
Engineering Calculations
Drawings: Detailed drawings
B. Precast Concrete Product – StarTrack Grade Crossings
Size: 17’-6” x 8’-0” Section
Concrete: 6000 psi concrete
Quantity: 285 pieces – Totaling 5,000 track feet
Find out more about the Oldcastle Infrastructure StarTrack Rail Solutions.