BNSF completes work trestle on Lake Pend Oreille bridge project

BNSF Railway Co. has moved to the next stage of its Sandpoint Junction Connector Project, which includes the construction of a second rail bridge over Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille adjacent to an existing rail bridge, the Class I announced this week in a company newsletter.

The project moved into the next phase since the work trestle at the north end has been completed. Engineering teams now are focused primarily on permanent pile construction for the new bridge, a three-quarter-mile long span next to the existing bridge. Additional pile installations will take place this month, as well.

Crews also will perform site grading work throughout the project limits, including in the vicinity of the Amtrak Depot, according to a BNSF website dedicated to the project.

The bridge over Lake Pend Oreille is part of BNSF's larger Sandpoint Junction Connector Project, which also will include new bridges over Sand Creek and Bridge Street in Sandpoint. The upgrades are aimed at reducing congestion and moving freight-rail traffic and future volumes more efficiently, BNSF officials say on a project website.