North Carolina DOT lets contract for rail curve realignment

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) last week awarded a $1.2 million contract to Faulconer Construction Co. to realign a curve along North Carolina Railroad Co.'s (NCRR) mainline in Davidson County.

The curve is located under Interstate 85 bridges that were recently built over the Yadkin River. The project is slated to begin July 1 and conclude by June 1, 2014, although reforestation and vegetation establishment work might continue through November 2014.

The curve realignment is part of the Piedmont Improvement Program (PIP), a series of rail projects designed to improve safety and mobility on a corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C. Primarily funded by $545 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars, PIP projects are scheduled for completion by Sept. 30, 2017. Program partners include NCDOT, NCRR, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway and the Federal Railroad Administration.