Excellent news concerning this retrofit, replacement and local modernization project. The existing bridge l@@ks dangerous and neglected. Thumbs up!

~ Did You Know? The new Haystack Bridge that will be installed in Petaluma is a re-purposed bascule bridge, purchased from Galveston, TX. Part of a Coast Guard project to widen the channel opening there made a relatively new bridge that was suitable to the SMART project. This approach offers several benefits over the original plan to rehabilitate the existing Haystack Bridge: the maximum train speed over the bridge goes up from 10 to 40 mph; the useful life of the bridge goes from 20 years to 80 years; the river channel widens from 55 to 87 feet; and the superstructure of the bridge goes from a low fender protection system to more substantial “pile clusters” to protect from a barge impact. In addition, all of these improvements will be achieved with the re-purposed span for the same cost as the originally planned retrofit.

November 12, 2013