Trains Newswire for this date carries a story that there is an anouncemnt of a planning initiative for a new bridge for railroads crossing the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tn.
Currently the crossings are achieved by the current two bridges. The Harahan Bridge opened in 1916 and The Frisco Bridge. Both bridges are adjacent to each other and each has been hit on a number of occasions by both north and southbound river tows.
The Harahan Bridge in addition to two 14’ wide vehicular roadways, one hung off either side of the bridge from 1917 to 1946 when the roadways were pulled up. It was built in concert by the Rock Island (CRI&P), and Cotton Belt (SSW) and MoPac (MP). When started it was to be called the Rock Island Bridge, but was renamed for the president of the CRI&P who was killed in an automobile accident, J.T. Harahan.
The Frisco Bridge (nee: Memphis Bridge) was begun in 1888 and finished in 1998 to carry the Kansas City, Fort Scott& Memphis tracks over the Mississippi River. Iw was first used as a toll bridge for wagon traffic and pedestrians. The remains of the strong room are in the abutment on the East side of the bridge.
The KCFS&M RR was merged with the Kansas City, Clinton & Springfield RR in 1901 into what was to become the SLSF RR, and later the BNRR, and lately into the BNSF which currently uses the Frisco Bridge as access into Memphis.
Apparently the genesis of this new plan is a TDOT effort to make use of a ‘Stimulus’ windfall of $572 million. Link below:
the Trains News Wire piece mentions railroad, but is only available to subscribers which is why he linked to the other article.
After reading the article, I think it is a stretch to say that a new Bridge is being planned, it seems more to me like they are thinking about planning a bridge. Can anyone here speak as to whether a new bridge is needed for rail or auto? The article mentioned that TDOT had a budget surplus, and we all know what happens when a government agency has a surplus. They spend it as quickly as possible so their budget doesn’t get reduced next year.
“The Southern Gateway: Crossing the river connecting America”
FTA: “…The Southern Gateway project will consider how to address cross-river transportation needs for various modes of transportation (highway, freight railroad, passenger railroad, bicycle/pedestrian) in the Memphis metropolitan area now and in the future….”
The underlined area is the rationale I had for putting in the data on the two railroad bridges at Memphis. The next closest rail bridges are St. Louis to the No]rth and Vicksburg to the South. It stands to reason a comprehensive all mode transportation plan would include the Frisco and Harahan bridges for either major upgrades or replacement. [2c]
If any more info is desired on the Memphis Bridges; I wpould suggest a "
The Commercial Appeal article appears to be basically a TDOT press release. The only mention of a railroad bridge is as an aside toward the end of the article.
The other item is a PR piece from the metropolitian transportation planning organization, which is a bit of bureaucracy created by the last big highway bill. They too have an obligatory, throwaway line about railroad and bicycle transportation.
I do not think there is any reason to take any of this seriously in terms of railroad bridges at Memphis. I rode across the Frisco bridge on a BNSF employee special about six months ago and was surprised at the lack of route conflicts through downtown Memphis. BNSF is south of and parallel with UP. There are crossover connections by not crossings. The old IC North/South passenger main comes to the BNSF but apparently no longer crosses. It looks like the old IC depot is now the south end of the downtown trolley. The IC freight main crosses over BNSF on a grade separation. The only point of conflict I saw was a mile of so west of the bridges where BNSF and UP cross each other at a shallow angle automatic interlocking.
The two Highway bridges are adequate, one is 4 lane and the other 6 lane, I think. Both are part of the Interstate system. The highway problems are in West Memphis where the East/West I40 crosses North/South I55. The two come together and then split a mile or two later. They are adding lanes to the joint use segment. Once that is done the interstates will be fine.
The City of Memphis is bleeding population. No need for more local infrastructure, but the jobs program for planners rolls on,
I thought I read somewhere, a few years ago, where one of the railroad bridges had some structural concerns. That hasn’t been mentioned anywhere, so perhaps the concerns aren’t that great.
Is this new bridge supposed to be good for highway, freight rail, and passenger rail? Passenger rail sounds intriguing, until you realize that it might just be an outlet for the extension of the light-rail system into Arkansas.
From the sound of things, they want a new highway bridge, and, oh, yes, we’ll put a track or two on it for freight railroads to use. Sort of the tail wagging the dog there…the bridge has to be engineered for railroads first and foremost, and highway lanes could be built above, below, or alongside the tracks. Notice that in the past the railroads have built their own bridges. Did you see anything in the publicity about the railroads expressing a desire for, or an interest in, a new bridge.
And the bridges have been getting hit by barges? Either we’re harking back to the pre-bridge days when the boats thought they should have unobstructed rivers, or they’re just being careless. I couldn’t imagine a new bridge being any easier for river traffic to go under.
The railroads should be on board, though. Because even if they don’t set track on a new bridge, I suspect that they have some nice land near the river that the bridge people are going to want to use for approaches, piers, and so on–and everybody knows that those tracks are all but abandoned, rig
"…The two Highway bridges are adequate, one is 4 lane and the other 6 lane, I think. Both are part of the Interstate system. The highway problems are in West Memphis where the East/West I40 crosses North/South I55. The two come together and then split a mile or two later. They are adding lanes to the joint use segment. Once that is done the interstates will be fine.
(My emphasis added, SFP**) The City of Memphis is bleeding population. No need for more local infrastructure, but the jobs program for planners rolls on…"**
Mac
Mac:
Your assessment of the Memphis traffic was pretty concise and I would guess painfully truthful.
As I grew up in Memphis and lived there most of my adult life and an o ccasional returnee. It does greive me to admit it.[:'(] It was where I have done most of my railfan connedted activities, I am flummoxed that the IC?CN would allow their North-South Mainline to be cut south of the Central Station area. The East-West lines from the 'bridges to the Eas was known as ‘Railroad Ave’ and was home to all the lines that serviced the Memphis area ( as well as the point from which the rail traffic into the former Union Station backed into that facility. IC had always controlled the crossings South of Central Station and THEIR services always had priority over everything.
I’m guessing now that their central N-S route is now to the East over what was formerly their Freight By-pass ( done because the hill to the North of Central Station was so steep (I never heard anyone say what the gradient of it was, but it was a tough spot for southbound trains. Which also means that the AMTRAK Service is now removed from the downtown area(?)
Mac also said__: "…The City of Memphis is bleeding population. No ne__
Hmm, the lastest Amtrak Timetable shows that the station is still at 545 S. Main Street.
When we were in Memphis last year, we were struck by the changes made since we had used Amtrak there in 1989–the waiting room is now at track level, and taxis come up there; there is an elevator from the street level up to the waiting room.
You are correct. I guess I had forgotten about that one.[banghead]
My comment about the IC/CN cutting thier main at the diamond crossings on "railroad Ave. was based solely on the remark made in Mac’s response about his ride into the Memphis area on the BNSF employee special.
If it were cut at the UP/BNSF crossing at Railroad Ave. it woud entail AMTRAK making a very long move to the Central Station and then back up to go around the city to the East.;( or whatever the Memphis City Gov’t now calls it. it was years ago envisioned as an all mode transportation hub).
I have no idea as to how they route their trains south of the Central Station area now. I used to work for some time at a business in the southwest quadrant of that crossing and, as I said I can imagine that the CN would ever cut their main at that point.
Sam, as well as I can tell, the only change in routing south of Central Station is that the trains run through the Delta now, and not through Grenada. Last year, we ran straight into the station when we arrived from New Orleans, and we went straight out when we left the next night.
As to the Main Street Trolley ending at the station, that may be; I did not note this, as we were at the station after dark.
Three years ago as we were on our way etween Chicago and Greenwood (better arrival and departure times at Greenwood than at Memphis), we were routed over the freight line because a culvert north of the station had collapsed, and the embankment suffered. Amt
It’s been several years since I was in downtown Memphis. The best I can recall is that the Main Street portion of the Trolley Line used to dead end at Main& Calhoun. The motorman would walk the pole around to it correct positin and then the car would proceed back northbound. Some years back they went west from Main Street west on Calhoun and then turned back nort on Fronty St to a ROW that involved Huling St and then back on a portion of the IC RR Row going northbound parallel to the IC up to the area of the Pyramid and Auditorium and then it swung back onto Main Street. The new trolly car barn and shops are north of Aucton St. (?). Since I moved away tey have now run a line east to the area of the Medical Center area utilized roughly the Madison Ave street for its ROW (?).
Looks like I’ll be going back in July for my 50th H.S. Class Reunion, I think.[:-^] I plan to try and check it out then.
Since I got some of you stirred up with this comment I checked Google Earth. The satellite view seems to show the diamonds in place and there is a photo of the station platform with track in place and a separate bypass track as well. Short of going up there, which I have no occassion to do, I think it is more likely that the diamonds are there than not, and I just did not feel going over them.