UP prepares for Colorado infrastructure upgrades worth $70.9 million

Union Pacific Railroad will spend $70.9 million this year to improve rail track and bridges in Colorado, the Class I announced yesterday.

The announcement is one of a series of state-by-state plans that UP has been rolling out as part of its list of $3.7 billion worth of infrastructure projects it has planned for its rail network this year.

UP's key investments in Colorado will include:
• A $16.7 million project to replace 36 miles of rail in Garden City, Greeley and Windsor;
• A $5.9 million project to replace more than 43,000 railroad ties and install 29,000 tons of ballast on the rail line between Columbine, Castle Rock and Palmer Lake; and
• A $5.6 million project to replace more than 31,000 ties and install
23,900 tons of ballast between Pueblo and Trinidad.

UP has spent about $123 million between 2011 to 2015 on its rail network in Colorado, UP officials said in a press release.

"We constantly evaluate our customers' needs to make targeted investments that enhance our efficiency and deliver the goods American businesses and families use daily," said Donna Kush, Union Pacific's vice president-public affairs, Northern region.