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BNSF Railway Co.’s Alliance Intermodal Facility expansion project recently received the Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) 2007 Excellence in Construction Award in the “heavy infrastructure” category.

Entries were judged on their “complexity, attractiveness, unusual challenges, completion time, workmanship, safety and budgets,” according to a May 1 item posted on BNSF’s Web site. Despite 70-plus days of rain last year, the $32.4 million expansion of the North Texas facility was completed on time and within budget, according to BNSF.

Two new 8,000-foot storage tracks were constructed at the facility and four others were extended to 8,000 feet. Crews built an additional 11,400 feet of new track as well as two concrete bridges totaling 800 feet in length to extend the north and south leads to accommodate full-length trains. The expansion also features a new state-of-the-art gate system that scans intermodal traffic as it enters and exits the facility, and provides an automated interface with drivers.

"The project team has done a great job working to complete the expansion of our Alliance Intermodal Facility, setting the stage for the continued growth of BNSF’s business activity in North Texas," said BNSF Vice President of Engineering David Freeman in a prepared statement.

The National Excellence in Construction Award will be presented to BNSF Engineering Services Team members Josh Ruple and Chris Varela, as well as officials from project general contractor AUI Contractors, at a June 18 awards banquet in Washington D.C.