The rehabilitation of a publicly-owned railroad corridor between Madison and Milton, Wisc., will soon be complete, Wisconsin & Southern Railroad has announced.
The Milwaukee-based railroad said the project, which involves installing 30,000 new railroad ties and 32 miles of continuous welded rail, as well as upgrading 21 public at-grade railroad crossings, is expected to be finished this year.
A recent milestone was the Jan. 10 ultrasonic testing of newly installed rail. As the testing found no defects, the railroad will be removing some speed restrictions now in effect; other speed restrictions will remain in place until further improvements, including bridge repairs, are complete.
The railroad said that a Wisconsin Department of Transportation grant is covering most of the cost of the project, with the remainder coming from the railroad and the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission. The commission owns the rail corridor jointly with the state.
According to the railroad's newsletter, sealed bids have been received for replacement of 105 feet of an existing seven-span timber trestle in Madison, and the contract will be awarded in late January.