Rail traffic to be halted several times for bridge construction

Ken Johnston

Work is proceeding on schedule on the new Canadian National Railway bridge at Rainy River.
CNR spokesman Jim Feeny said Monday, “Work is proceeding and will continue to do so throughout the summer and into the fall.”
Assembly of two spans is presently underway on the American side of the bridge. Feeny said that the plan is to start at one side of the bridge, take out the two old spans and slide in the new ones. “Work blockages will be in place for 12 hours (each),” explained Feeny noting that will provide very little interruption to traffic volumes on this rail line. The two on the other end of the bridge will then be replaced.
The middle four spans will be replaced in two spurts. The first two will be over the Labour Day Weekend and the last two late in mid September. Since they are larger it is expected that rail traffic will be stopped for 20 hours at a time for each span.
Once the work on the bridge is done, Feeny said that remediation will take place. “Landscaping and grass planting will take place,” returning the shorelines to their pre-construction state.
The rail bridge between Rainy River and Baudette was first constructed in 1901. Work on its replacement began last year and will conclude this fall.