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Hillwood Blvd. Bridge in Nashville finally set for removal

Started by HPfromTN, August 22, 2018, 11:18:10 AM

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HPfromTN

It took a couple years longer than it was supposed to take, because CXS has not been a good neighbor in this, but the dangerous Hillwood Blvd. Bridge over Richland Creek and the CSX railroad near Harding Pike will finally be replaced.

The road will be closed for a year, while the old crumbling bridge is replaced and a new one is built.  Why it takes a year to build such a tiny bridge when big interstate bridges can be constructed in a weekend is a mystery, but friends say it is due to issues with CSX.









Mr. Matté

Quote from: HPfromTN on August 22, 2018, 11:18:10 AM
The road will be closed for a year, while the old crumbling bridge is replaced and a new one is built.  Why it takes a year to build such a tiny bridge when big interstate bridges can be constructed in a weekend is a mystery, but friends say it is due to issues with CSX.

I bet the traffic issues created from closing a dinky two-lane road especially with a four-lane highway only a half mile away are much less than closing an Interstate highway.

HPfromTN

Quote from: Mr. Matté on August 23, 2018, 04:24:30 PM
Quote from: HPfromTN on August 22, 2018, 11:18:10 AM
The road will be closed for a year, while the old crumbling bridge is replaced and a new one is built.  Why it takes a year to build such a tiny bridge when big interstate bridges can be constructed in a weekend is a mystery, but friends say it is due to issues with CSX.

I bet the traffic issues created from closing a dinky two-lane road especially with a four-lane highway only a half mile away are much less than closing an Interstate highway.

I don't believe you have been to this little dinky street between 6:45 AM and 8:15 AM or between 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM.  Traffic backs up on this little dinky road to the point where if you are in the back of the line, you must go through 4 or 5 traffic light cycles.

Nashville grew too fast too quick, and there are limited options to commute.  This bridge is a bypass off Harding Pike (US-70S) to the Hillwood and West Meade neighborhoods.  It runs into Post Road,which was the original path from the early 1800's.  This is a highly affluent area (multiple billionaires live in this neighborhood).  Time is a lot of money to them.  Closing 1/3 of the possible routes into town for one year is going to be a big issue. 

Nobody in the Hillwood area has anything good to say about CSX, as they are considered a bad neighbor.  They are the reason this project has been delayed to the point where the 102 year old bridge is about 15 years late in being replaced, and why it will take so long to finish the project.  It was never meant to have stagnant traffic for 3-4 hours every day, and thus it has been crumbling slowly.  With 7-10 trains per day passing under this bridge, there are many aspects similar to the one in Minneapolis that fell in the previous decade.

FWIW, I must choose one of these three options for my commute.  What once took 15 minutes to get to my office now takes more than an hour, and with this bridge closing, it will add another 10-15 minutes for a year.

Flint1979

Quote from: HPfromTN on August 22, 2018, 11:18:10 AM
It took a couple years longer than it was supposed to take, because CXS has not been a good neighbor in this, but the dangerous Hillwood Blvd. Bridge over Richland Creek and the CSX railroad near Harding Pike will finally be replaced.

The road will be closed for a year, while the old crumbling bridge is replaced and a new one is built.  Why it takes a year to build such a tiny bridge when big interstate bridges can be constructed in a weekend is a mystery, but friends say it is due to issues with CSX.






That bridge has the same guardrail as the old Center Road Bridge in Saginaw, MI. A new bridge was built in 2010 and it seems like it took quite awhile for them to build that bridge. It crosses the Tittabawassee River.

sparker

CSX is probably pissing & moaning because during the removal process of the span over the tracks and the placement of the girders of any replacement span they'll have to cease using those tracks, usually for a few weeks at a time.  If they have 7-10 trains per day (a moderately used line), those have to be rerouted, which disrupts their schedules elsewhere.  They'll also be dinged for part of the bridge cost as well.  Although since the death of CEO Hunter Harrison last year CSX's public persona has become more favorable (Harrison was a "stockholder guy" to the max), in this instance they're acting like any other railroad would under the circumstances.  What they'll ask for are tax offsets or other remuneration to compensate for their inconvenience -- plus likely some sort of deferment on paying their share of the bridge replacement, although their MofW (maintenance-of-way) people probably were well aware of the bridge's deficiencies (train crews don't usually notice such things unless they're falling down directly in front of the locomotive!).   But being a private enterprise for private profit, CSX, like any corporation, invariably seeks to minimize their outlay.



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