September 2016
Walsh Replaces 121-Year-Old Crum Creek Viaduct Railroad Bridge
WALLINGFORD, PA – Walsh Construction has completed the replacement of the Crum Creek Viaduct, a 915-foot, two-track railroad bridge in southeastern Pennsylvania. Originally constructed in 1895, the bridge has been critical to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and its mass transit commuters, yet the viaduct’s lifespan was pushed beyond its limit and in need of replacement.
The existing bridge remained in service while the reinforced concrete piers and abutments were constructed between the existing masonry abutments and steel lattice towers. The new superstructure was erected on a temporary falsework system directly adjacent to the existing bridge utilizing the new reinforced concrete substructure elements.
During an 11-week outage phase, Walsh crews demolished the existing structure and the new superstructure was laterally slid into place, followed by restoration of the ballast, track, rail, catenary supports/system and power.
“This project was a total team effort by Walsh and SEPTA from the design through the construction phase,” said Senior Project Manager Andrejs Delle, “From the highest management levels to the construction operations staff on site, Walsh and SEPTA worked with a true collaborative spirit.”
The new steel and concrete superstructure now spans 735 feet with five long spans, four piers and two abutments.
“Walsh Construction and SEPTA in-house forces worked diligently to get this project completed on-time and on-budget,” said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey Kneuppel.
With the completion of this project, the Crum Creek Viaduct is expected to achieve another 100 years of service, safely allowing over 320 passenger trains to travel over it each week.