When CSX Railway needed to expand access to
their Bedford Park, Illinois rail yard, they knew
they didn’t have too many options. The bridge
carrying a major traffic artery over numerous
railway tracks restricted their access, but they
needed two more sets of tracks at their transportation
hub.
CSX Transportation asked General Contractor,
The Milord Company, to come up with ideas.
The final proposal included removing an existing
retaining wall on the south edge of the
viaduct and pouring a new wall approximately
20' further into the embankment to widen the
access to the rail yard.
Everything seemed to be falling into place
until the beginning of that first pour. The
Backbone system held up perfectly, however
the contractor discovered that they had not
placed enough compacted fill in front of the
wall footings. This caused slight movement
in the forming structure, sliding it away from
the embankment. The contractor had to think
quick, and decided to drill two holes on the
outer edge of the outside jacks to place #10
rebar to stop the frame system from being
pushed out. A simple solution that worked
like a charm!
After the first pour, they knew what to expect
and prepared for the rest. They secured the
footing better and placed the rebar at the
outside jacks prior to the next pour.
Kujo was able to set the first 60' of forms and
frames up in about five days and were able to
pour the next four sections and complete the
300' retaining wall within fifteen days.