BNSF undertook the replacement of two new bridges located in its Southern Transcon, which is the railway's main route for shipping goods from the Pacific Coast to the Midwest. The project, on BNSF's Emporia Subdivision near Neosho Rapids, Kansas, required two bridges to be built on new embankments and alignments.

We provided construction management services to BNSF for its project that was designed by TranSystems and contracted to Kraemer North America for construction. Construction began in 2022 and was completed in the spring of 2024.

"As long as you have great communication on a project like this, it's successful."

Bridge 102.9 featured socketed piles to support the abutments, ten precast spans, six drilled shafts, three cast-in-place caps, and six deck plate girders (DPGs) over the Neosho River. Bridge 105.0 is comprised of driven piles to support the precast abutments, four drilled shafts, two cast-in-place caps, four DPGs, and two beam spans over the Cottonwood River.

"The key is communication," said David Johnson, who led construction management for Olsson on the project. "It's making sure that everybody knows what's the plan and what needs to happen next. As long as you have great communication on a project like this, it's successful."

The project site, situated in a rural area with limited access, necessitated collaboration with neighboring landowners to construct access roads for each bridge location. Despite challenges like flooding, due to working over two rivers for 18 months, the project team maintained consistent communication with all parties throughout the duration. With teamwork and perseverance, we facilitated this successful bridge replacement on the Southern Transcon and helped keep our nation’s supply chain moving.