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The ADA has arrived at Beverly Shores. In the published planning documents, Beverly Shores was not going to be a fully accessible station. After initial construction the crews have gone back, cut out some concrete and added new concrete and tactile strips to mark the platform edge (the original tact...

20231007-11thSt-Washington.jpg Washington St with one southbound lane will have a left turn cycle. 20231007-11thSt-Wabash.jpg Wabash St has a dedicated left turn lane. 20231007-11thSt-Franklin3.jpg The northbound signals are "laid back". These signals have special lenses that intentionally make the...

Working through a few remaining items - 20231007-11thSt-Station.jpg Work underway on the ballast on track 1 at the station. 20231007-11thSt-Franklin1.jpg Traffic Lights are working in downtown Michigan City, including the walk lights. (After stopping for the tracks for the past 20 months some driver...

South Shore Line preparing to open first leg of Double Track route The South Shore is targeting the week of Oct. 16 to begin running trains between Michigan City and Dune Park, railroad President and General Manager Michael Noland told its Board of Trustees Monday. "We have successfully completed o...

Michigan City on Sunday ...
The west end of 10th St is nearly complete. Ogden Dunes ...
Hillcrest Rd has been rebuilt for the new crossing and work continues on the track past the new platform.

Finally - Michigan City today ... Quiet Zone improvements are underway at the crossings east of Michigan Ave. This is the crossing at Carroll Ave which is due to open on Monday. The additional concrete barrier in the middle of the road will help qualify the crossing to be included in the proposed Mi...

Ogden Dunes today ... The gauntlet took shape quickly. The main track will be shifted to the right (south) to line up with the platform and give room for trains on the gauntlet. (Hillcrest Rd will close Monday for the crossing to be rebuilt.) Photos taken from Hillcrest Rd, the south side of US 12 a...

Miller Beach today ...
Lake St is open as sidewalk work continues.
Track work continues eastbound as the switch for the layover yard is installed. Three cranes are being used to place the bridge over the CSX tracks.

Yes, the CSX bridge is the last one for the entire Double Track project. I have not managed to catch a test train on my weekend visits. I usually see a freight train on the weekend evenings. This weekend I made a couple of trips and saw a UP powered coal train heading to Michigan City on Saturday ni...

Michigan and Homan bridge all set! On to the next bridge.
(Traffic lights need to be re-installed.)

At Ogden Dunes, Track 1 has been removed and will be replaced by a gauntlet track. 20230917-OgdenDunes1.jpg Back in Michigan City, The first layer of asphalt has been laid replacing the tracks on 10th St between Willard St and the Amtrak line. 20230917-10thSt-Willard.jpg York St in Michigan City was...

Weekend Update Starting in Miller Indiana where the Lake St crossing is scheduled to open Monday. Some sidewalk work remains to be completed and lines need to be painted. Traffic lights are set to three way stop (flashing red in all directions). 20230916-Miller1.jpg There will be a pedestrian crossi...

20230909-WL-FisherSt1.jpg The new rails have reached Fisher St in Munster. The Monon Trail is on the right of the barrier wall. Fisher St is the last road before the tracks go on to an elevated segment crossing the former Penn Central railroad and CN/CSX line headed south. 20230909-WL-45th-Menard.j...

Update from the West Lake corridor ... 20230909-WL-Hammond2.jpg The new South Shore Line platform at Hammond Gateway is taking shape. 20230909-WL-Homan-Michigan3.jpg The bridge over Hohman and Michigan is being placed. 20230909-WL-NSBridge.jpg Just south of Michigan is the bridge over the NS Chicago...

And finally, back to Mineral Springs Rd (Dune Acres). Two new mains extending west from Dune Park past Bailly. Catenary is being hung.

The second part lands us in Miller where paving is about half finished (by my estimate) with one week to go in the estimated six week closure. The first half of the paving was done this past week so it is possible the second half will be finished by next weekend.

This week's update is broken up into three posts ...
First, in Michigan City. The removal of track from 10th St has begun. Completion is scheduled for the end of September.

Bonus Pictures: 20230902-CP43-5-DunePark.jpg Begin CTC - where trains enter CTC (centralized train control) at Dune Park. The dispatcher controls track switches and signals from here (CP 43.5) to South Bend. 20230902-10thSt-Sheridan.jpg 10th St and the new alignment as viewed from the public trail t...

20230902-Miller4.jpg Looking at the new crosswalk across Lake St protected by the traffic signal that will also control the intersection of Lake and 7th north of the tracks. 20230902-Miller5.jpg Looking east at the tracks heading up the hill. The sidewalk is on the north edge of the new east parkin...

Labor Day Weekend - back to Miller for an update - 20230902-Miller1.jpg The crossing at Lake St from the south. The rails are in place and construction is working on the curbing. 20230902-Miller2.jpg Looking westbound at the platform of the new station from between the two main lines. 20230902-Mille...