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On July 4, CSX Transportation crews capped off this year’s “Jamboree,” a track maintenance blitz designed to compress about a year's worth of rail, tie, signal and bridge work into one week.

During the Jamboree, more than 900 workers replaced or installed about 176,000 ties, 2,500 rail-cars of ballast and 233,000 feet of mainline rail. Crews also installed an additional 59,000 feet of relay rail in an Erwin, Tenn., yard, repaired or refurbished 10 bridges and 255 grade crossings, and completed nearly 650 track welds.

In general, the $34 million worth of work focused on maintenance and repair tasks in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Trackwork was concentrated on key routes between Shelby, Ky., and Abbeville, S.C.; and from Bostic, N.C., and Elmwood Junction, S.C., to Newberry, S.C.

The Jamboree was completed safely and on schedule despite record heat and rugged terrain, CSXT officials said in a prepared statement.

“This critical work helps fulfill our commitment to investing in our customers and in the communities in which we operate,” said Oscar Munoz, CSXT’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

In 1999, a CSXT machine operator coined the term "Jamboree" to describe the mass gathering of maintenance-of-way crews and equipment in one area.