Momentum continues to build on Southwest LRT project in Minnesota

Written by RT&S Staff
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Crews on the Southwest LRT project in Minnesota work on constructing temporary forms for concrete on the approach to the bridge abutment.

Construction on the Southwest LRT project in Minnesota continues, and for the entire month of May Wooddale Avenue in St. Louis Park will be closed as crews build the new Cedar Lake Regional Trail underpass. The video below will provide a summary of the work:

In Eden Prairie, the SouthWest Transit facility is now demolished and crews are working on excavation and utilities in the area. Pile driving work will continue.

The Prairie Center Drive LRT Bridge structure, which begins on the north side of the SouthWest Transit Parking Ramp and follows alongside Purgatory Creek Park then crosses over Prairie Center Drive north of Singletree Lane, is under construction until Fall 2020. Crews have finished some piers and are currently working north of the Parking Ramp and next to Purgatory Creek Park along Prairie Center Drive. Work also has started on the east side of the roadway near Bachman’s.

Light rail will travel on a bridge over I-494, parallel to Flying Cloud Drive. Abutment work is nearly complete, with crews removing the supports for excavation and backfilling. Work continues on the walls for the approaches to the bridge. The ramp from westbound I-494 to eastbound Highway 212 has reopened.

Work on the Valley View Road bridge is shifting to bridge deck construction. There will be intermittent daytime closures to set bridge beams at the intersections of Valley View Road and Flying Cloud Drive this month. Along Flying Cloud Drive between Eden Road and Valley View Road crews will be conducting major utility work, which includes moving utilities that are in the way of the light-rail guideway and improving other area utilities while the roadway is under construction. Once the utilities are relocated, crews will begin work on the light-rail track guideway. Work is beginning to shift into phase two, with traffic being moved to the south side of Flying Cloud Drive as work begins on the northern side.

Pile driving for the light-rail bridge structure and abutments at Nine Mile Creek will continue through the spring. Crews have advanced abutment work and continue to complete piers.

Over in Minnetonka, construction of the light-rail tunnel under Highway 62 continues and work is scheduled to be complete in 2021. Traffic lanes have been shifted to the south side of the highway corridor to accommodate light-rail tunnel construction on the north side of the highway.

Work has begun on Red Circle Drive for bridge reconstruction.

On Smetana Road, bridge and track work are getting underway. Work will start on bridge abutments and approach walls to the bridge. Piling could begin as early as May 4.

Excavation and pile driving has begun on the Minnetonka-Hopkins LRT Bridge in Hopkins. Crews will be working on the northern most abutment and piers. Work also is underway on the future light-rail tracks crossing 11th Street, and work continues on the light-rail bridge over Excelsior Blvd. Piers are nearing completion and the focus will soon shift to bridge girder construction.

Work continues on new freight and regional trail bridges in St. Louis Park. Crews are beginning to backfill retaining walls on the approach to the bridges, and bridge girders are currently being placed.

In Minneapolis, construction continues on a light-rail tunnel. Sheet pile installation is expected to last through the summer. Tunnel excavation will begin later in spring.

Three bridges will be constructed over the Cedar Lake Channel for freight, light rail, and the Kenilworth trail. Trusses for the freight bridge were set in late March and crews are now focusing on finishing deck details.

For the latest news, go to www.rtands.com.

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