Railway Track & Structures has recognized Norfolk Southern’s Pearl River Truss Replacement as a Top Project in their June 2023 issue. Located in East Pearl River, Louisiana, the 22-month project to replace a nearly 120-year-old truss was constructed on time and on budget. This was in the face of several challenges brought on by its physical location, along with the pandemic and a major natural disaster.

“The Pearl River Truss Replacement is a prime example of the Norfolk Southern Engineering Department coming together as ONE TEAM to overcome significant obstacles,” said Ed Boyle, VP Engineering. “Our team did an outstanding job in delivering on time, cost effective results.”  

The project was constructed over a public roadway, a key factor that complicated work. As part of the design process, Norfolk Southern had to ensure that the roadway remained open for vehicle traffic during construction. To be successful with this requirement, the engineering and construction crews modified the roadway below the bridge to ensure traffic could continue to pass.

The project team successfully managed several other unexpected obstacles. The team had to contend with an accelerated span change-out process for minimal disruption of rail traffic. The project was constructed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant slowdowns due to workforce quarantining and supply chain interruptions. The fabricator for the project was in Canada, which made getting materials to Louisiana a challenge. In addition, the team also had to coordinate their work around a twice daily Amtrak schedule.

The weather presented additional challenges to the project. After enduring excessive flooding due to unseasonably high amounts of rainfall in the region, the area was hit by Hurricane Ida. Along with the mandatory evacuations and power outages in the area, the project experienced delays due to flood waters which lingered long after the storm had passed and deposited record amounts of rainfall within the Pearl River watershed.

The Pearl River Truss replacement is part of Norfolk Southern’s annual $1 billion investment in its infrastructure, all to ensure trains safely and efficiently transport freight throughout its 22-state network.