|
Buchanan Street
Gary, Indiana
Transit Home >
Buchanan Street
 |
Concrete grade crossing at Buchanan
Street. |
In addition to improved warning lights and gates, grade crossing
safety can be enhanced by providing a smooth crossing surface for
both roadway vehicles and trains. A smoother surface will permit
swifter crossings, reducing the time vehicles are on the tracks,
and driver hesitation that has been observed at rougher crossings.
When the city of Gary, Indiana, and the Indiana Department of Transportation
decided to jointly reconstruct Buchanan Street—a major truck
access route for U.S. Steel’s Gary Works Sheet Mill—it
offered an opportunity to improve the Northern Indiana Commuter
Transportation District’s (NICTD) railway crossing. NICTD
has two main tracks on tangent alignment that cross 65-foot (20-m)
wide Buchanan Street in Gary. Both commuter and freight trains use
the crossing, constructed of timber planks, which had become badly
deteriorated and unsafe.
A precast concrete modular-type crossing was agreed upon by all
involved. NICTD has used this product since 1992 and INDOT also
had prior experience with concrete crossings. Precast modular crossings
take the place of the entire track-support structure— crossties,
ballast, and subballast—and can substantially reduce maintenance.
They resist heaving by frost action, deflection due to road shock,
and settlement. Access to rail is provided without disturbing the
crossing surface.
The model used—Startrack II-HD—is designed for Cooper
E-80 train axle loads and high density/high-speed truck traffic.
The high-strength concrete modules are 5 feet (1.5 m) long x 11
feet (3.4 m) wide x 16 inches (405 mm) thick. To enhance durability,
the concrete mix includes microsilica and reinforcing steel is epoxy-coated.
The typical installation process involves site inspection, track
removal, excavation, (removal of unsuitable material), subbase preparation,
final accurate surfacing, module placement, rail placement and attachment,
and flangeway filling. The eastbound track was installed in one
day, and the westbound track seven days later. The design of the
street pavement included cast-in-place concrete headers before and
after the crossings. The track crossing has required little maintenance
since installation.
Project Credits
Owner/Installer: Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District,
Michigan City, IN
Crossing Manufacturer: Oldcastle/Amcor Precast, Littleton, CO |
 |
|