First rails installed for Downtown Streetcars
Work is underway to install the railway tracks for the Downtown Streetcar project.
Wednesday morning, crews started laying the tracks on the southbound lane of Oregon Street between Glory Road and Cincinnati Avenue, near the University of Texas at El Paso.
The northbound lane in that section is open, but drivers should expect occasional closures.
While crews lay the tracks, other workers are preparing various work zones on the 4.8 mile route.
Laying the tracks is a five step process:
– Remove all existing pavement where necessary
– Precisely level the exposed ground by removing existing dirt and rock and replacing it with new material and in some location installing new curb and sidewalks. (3-6 weeks to complete)
– Lay and weld rail segments which average 415 feet in length
– Pour 12-inch thick concrete slab around rail, requiring 2-3 weeks to fully set
– Finalize roadway repairs including final striping
Crews placed rail rollers on Monday morning.
A crew member explained to ABC-7 rail segments will be welded on top of the rollers to create the track.
When all five steps of the track-laying process are done crews will repeat the process in another work zone.
Paso del Norte Trackworks has been working to relocate utilities along the route since December 2015.
The crew began working in May 2016, removing pavement, dirt and rocks and replacing it with new materials.
Crews are ready for the next phase. “Once we start laying rail on the street this unquestionably becomes the Streetcar Project that a lot of folks in this community have been looking forward to” Martin Bartlett, a spokesman for the developer, said.
Barlett said work on Oregon street was scheduled to coincide with the summer break at UTEP.
The streetcars will travel along businesses, medical, entertainment, cultural and educational institutions.
If you are traveling near downtown or UTEP, be aware of the construction happening along the following locations this week:
COMPLETE CLOSURES
San Antonio Avenue between Kansas Street and Stanton Street
Father Rahm Avenue between Santa Fe Street and Kansas Street
Kansas Street between Overland Avenue and Father Rahm Avenue
Stanton Street between Robinson Avenue and Kerbey Avenue
Boston Avenue between Mesa Street and Kansas Street
Crosby Avenue between Mesa Street and Stanton Street
LANE RESTRICTIONS
Santa Fe Street between Paisano Drive and Loop 375
Stanton Street between Cliff Drive and Schuster Avenue
Franklin Avenue between Mesa Street and Stanton Street
Campbell Street at First Avenue
University Avenue at Oregon
