The existing BNSF Bridge 294.1 consisted of two 48" deck plate girder spans and three 124' through truss spans and was being replaced with an in-line replacement bridge consisting of two 39' double cell concrete spans, two 62' deck plate girder spans and three 127' through plate girder spans supported by CIP or precast concrete caps and drilled shafts. The construction plan for the in-line replacement of this bridge occurred during a specified track window that included placement of a causeway across the Salt Fork River originally set for October. OCCI chose to use Self Propelled Modular Transport's (SPMT) for both the removal and replacement of the bridge components. The existing truss spans were lifted by crane and placed on the waiting SPMT, then transported to the staging area one at a time where they were removed and replaced by the new TPG spans that were then transported back to the bridge and lifted into place by the cranes. With scheduling changes, the track window ended up occurring the weekend of January 4, 2014. The winter climate brought its own challenge, with a 24 hour wind delay where the temperature dropped from 40 degrees to 0 with winds over 30 mph in which the cranes could not safely lift the loads. TranSystems, the OCCI and BNSF worked together to find multiple alternatives to replace the remaining spans to get the bridge back in service if these conditions continued. As a successful result of these efforts, trains were placed on the new bridge by 6 am Monday morning.
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