BNSF/Orchard Road
Grade Separation
Client: Kane County Division of
Transportation
Location: Aurora, Illinois
Construction Completed: 2003
Construction Cost: $9.26 Million
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Challenge
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.
Details
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.
Benefits
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.
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