Watch: Time-lapse video of 36-hour railroad construction in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan DOT

There was an Amtrak train from Chicago due for arrival, and railroad construction crews in Ann Arbor, Mich., did just about everything in their power to keep it from stopping.

Working with a 36-hour window, builders removed a section of railroad track near the Argo Dam, excavated, installed culverts and then got the tracks back in operation. It is part of a $9.4 million tunnel project that will give paths to pedestrians and bikers and also will help with storm water drainage.

Cranes help put 20 concrete culverts in place, and 20 people helped accomplish the 36-hour construction feat that used three cranes, four excavators, a wheel loader and two bulldozers.

The storm water system runs under the railroad tracks, and is expected to reduce flooding in the area once it is operational. Michigan received a ton of rain over the last weekend, creating a flooded parking lot near the work site. The existing storm water drain helped move the water, but the new system will prevent such incidents.

Watch a time-lapse video of the weekend construction: