(The following story by John Dickey appeared on the Appeal-Democrat website on August 11.)
MARYSVILLE, Calif. — Union Pacific has been working on the railroad, spending nearly $10 million this summer to maintain its rail line from Lincoln to just north of Chico.
Just don’t listen for that ring of steel from a hammer driving spikes into the railbed – the 75 to 100 people working on the project have plenty of help from machinery that pulls the spikes, lifts sections of track, and drives the spikes after ties are replaced.
“But you still need the personnel to operate the machinery,” said Mark Davis, Union Pacific’s director of regional affairs.
By October, when it’s finished, the maintenance project will remove and replace 72,800 ties, spread 26,600 tons of rock ballast for a stable roadbed, and level more than 50 miles of rail line to provide a smooth ride for freight and passenger trains.
Motorists may also get less of a jolt because of work to improve 90 railroad crossings on the section of track which carries an average of 16 trains per day.
Construction is currently located in Live Oak, where Clark Road will be closed Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paseo Road will be closed Wednesday during the same hours.
If appearances are any indication, the Pennington Road crossing completed this week should be smoother, with rail lines that are more even with the road.
“Just from a visual inspection, it looks like it was going to be a smoother ride,” said Michael Bohlander, Live Oak’s Public Works director.
The rail line which travels through Marysville and Yuba County is an active corridor that links the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, said Davis.
Rail traffic has been steadily increasing by roughly one more train per day, every two years, thanks to demand for lumber and building products.
“It’s an extremely important corridor,” said Davis.
Construction work will continue on the line through Wheatland, Sheridan and Lincoln.
The $9.5 million project is routine maintenance work that has been planned for two years.