BNSF/Orchard Road Grade Separation

> Metra Rock Island > Norfolk Southern (PC 29.25)
> Norfolk Southern (Wampum) > Riverdale Disaster
> Orchard Road  

The project site is located in Aurora, Illinois, a vibrant community 40 miles west of Chicago and the 18th fastest growing U.S. city with a population over 135,000. Orchard Road is a principal arterial that continues north through Kane County and connects to the East-West Tollway (I-88), a major route into metropolitan Chicago.

The at-grade crossing at Orchard Road was unsafe and created delays for pedestrians and motorists. The Kane County Division of Transportation hired Bowman, Barrett & Associates Inc. (BB&A) to provide grade separation at the Orchard Road crossing of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad.

The engineering challenge was to construct grade separation structures for both the railroad and bike path, while maintaining all traffic modes. The client also expressed an interest for enhancing the aesthetic value of the area by creating a landmark for the community to appreciate and enjoy.

BB&A provided overall management of the planning and design of the project, including the design of the following elements:

  • The BNSF railroad grade separation structures, the shoofly and mainline track alignments, and the temporary railroad grade crossing.
  • The pedestrian bridge structure for the Gilman Trail over Orchard Road including the alignment of the bike/pedestrian trails through the project site. The 150-foot bridge links up with the bike pathway system serving Kane County and Aurora.
  • The widening of Orchard Road from a two-lane to a four-lane divided highway and the improvement of the Orchard Road and Prairie Street intersection.
  • Accommodations were made for the creation of future third lanes on Orchard Road.
  • The temporary bypass road constructed to maintain roadway traffic throughout the construction period.
  • The segmental block retaining walls for support of the bike path along the east side of Orchard Road and the subdivision property along the west side of Orchard Road.
  • The 4.1 acre foot stormwater detention facility, closed drainage system and piping for the 50-year storm event and sizing of the pump station.
  • The preparation of all right-of-way and easement documents needed to build the project.
  • Determination of the construction staging sequence and corresponding time durations needed to complete the project in accordance with the needs of Kane County.

Safety: The at-grade crossing of Gilman Trail and the BNSF track at Orchard Road presented a substantial safety risk for motorists and pedestrians. BB&A was able to remove that risk by designing grade separation structures. The widening of Orchard Road also contributed to improving the safety of the area.

Convenience: Motorists often experienced delays on Orchard Road daily due to long freight trains passing through the area. The grade separation eliminated this cause for motorist delay.

Aesthetics: The landscape architect, the client and BB&A decided to create an “orchard” theme, consisting of a Boston ivy leaf motif and trellis lines cast onto the exposed faces of the railroad and pedestrian bridge substructure units and walls. An orchard theme was also replicated in the selection and placement of ornamental blooming trees and plantings. BB&A designed an aesthetic landmark that enhances the beauty and value of the surrounding environment.

Flood Control: A large detention pond was added to the project to store storm water events discharged from the pump station. The project is tributary to the Blackberry Creek watershed, which is highly susceptible to flooding. The detention pond was designed to hydraulically connect to the City of Aurora flood control basins constructed just north of the project site.