Train work continues: Portion of Superior Ave. will close
Published 5:04 am Saturday, July 16, 2016
- DAILY NEWS PHOTO/Jesse Wright Jarrod Burnett, an employee with CN railroad, lowers a mobile welding unit onto the tracks Friday morning. The welding unit rolls down the tracks and, when it finds two unconnected pieces of track, it pulls both pieces closer and flash welds them together.
For the past several weeks, the railroad lines in and around Bogalusa have been undergoing repairs.
According to Jason Thomas, a track inspector with CN, the railroad that owns the tracks, the repairs could mean faster rail speeds and smoother railroad crossings for motorists.
However, the repairs won’t be completed for several weeks. Next week, rail work will shut down part of Superior Avenue for several days. Starting next Thursday at 8 a.m., both lanes of Superior Avenue will be closed.
But Thomas said the closure should be good for everyone.
“We’re going to do a total rehab on that crossing and it’ll be a little better for us and for anybody who crosses there, too,” he said.
In addition to that crossing, the railroad company is replacing rails and welding rails together into a continuous rail.
“It will help provide for a smoother ride for a train,” Thomas said. He added that a single track will mean less wear and tear on the road and it could allow the trains to run faster, going possibly from 10 mph to 20.
Thomas said the two local clients of the rail line include a lumber company and the paper mill.
He said the repairs will wrap up in about three weeks and they will cover a distance of three miles north of town along Highway 21.