Double Track Control Point, Lake Wanda to Bredenberg

BNSF needed to add approximately seven miles of new mainline track, and that work included several drainage improvements like culvert extensions, crossing improvements, and bridges. Many of the areas that required subgrade improvements were not suitable for lime or fly ash due to extensive amounts of electrical conduit, signal cables, and other utilities that were placed at shallow depths. BNSF was also facing time constraints and track outages, and they needed a solution that could be installed quickly.

Tensar InterAx geogrid was installed in many of the above-mentioned areas where lime and fly ash were unsuitable. It was also placed under the sub-ballast at grade crossings, at abutments for the bridges, and under a complex area where several interlockers were removed and replaced by turnouts and crossovers. The use of InterAx in this area was crucial due to the shallow utilities that had been placed there. Additionally, InterAx geogrid was installed in areas with known trouble spots where unsuitable soil was removed, geogrid was placed, and then sub-ballast or embankment was placed on top to reinforce the track bed.