Brightline Orlando Line Construction Part 2: Dallas Blvd to State Road 520 - Oct/Nov 2021

Coming up in this Brightline Construction Update. This update is the second part of a 3 part series   providing my most comprehensive look to date at  the progress on Brightline’s all new Orlando Line. The Orlando Line is an all new higher speed  passenger rail line running from Orlando   International Airport to where it will join  into the Florida East Coast Railway in Cocoa.   In part 1 I looked at the section between  Narcoossee Road and Innovation way.   This update will look at the progress  between Dallas Blvd and State Road 520.   We’ll start at Dallas Blvd. Crews are continuing to finish  up work on the bridge here.   The deck looks to be complete and  rebar is formed for the sides. While the bridge is only being  built for a single track currently,   it has been designed so a second track  can easily be added at a later date   once service reaches the point  where two tracks are required. Flying down the bridge, you can see where concrete  was poured to fill in the gaps between the beams. And here is a flight back across heading  west. The purpose of the walls that are   being built is to hold in the ballast  that will be laid across the bridge. In the distance, crews are still working on  the bridge over the Econlockhatchee River.   Beams should be installed soon. The track being   laid east from Innovation Way  can be seen in the distance. While Dallas Blvd is only a  two lane dirt road currently,   there are plans in the works for  major developments in this area,   which is why the bridge is being built with room  for many more lanes of traffic to pass underneath. This intermediate signal looks like  it has all of its equipment installed.   The tall pole is an antenna  for the future PTC system.   There are also solar panels, a backup generator,  and bungalow along with the signals themselves Dallas Blvd itself has a railroad background.  It is built on the right of way of the Florida   East Coast Railway’s former Kissimmee  Valley Branch which was abandoned in 1947. We’ll next head a few miles east to  the borrow pits that are providing   the majority of the fill for the project. Thanks to Brightline, I was able  to be escorted through this area   which I had not been able to  legally access on my own previously. During the beginning stages of construction,  it may not have looked like much was being   done along the route to an outsider. At that  time, crews were busy here excavating fill that   would be used to build up the right of way and to  form some of the various ramps and embankments. Eventually this entire area will be  reclaimed to become a large lake,   like this section here already has. For more than a year, there was  a constant stream of dump trucks   to and from here moving fill all over the  project and it continues to a smaller extent now. Here is one dump truck being loaded now. It   looks like they are separating  different kinds of dirt here. The right of way passes on  the north side of this area. While there will only be a single track  passing through this area initially,   crews will be able to easily add a  second track through here when necessary. This is also the main base of operations  for crews working in the area.   Materials for the signal system  are also being staged here   before it is taken out along  the route to be installed. Here are parts for some cantilevered signals  along with some standard signal masts. We’ll now make our way to an  area just west of State Road 520. This is also an opportunity  to preview what it will look   like to be riding through this area on a  train as we head down the right of way. Through the magic of editing, I have sped  this up to roughly simulate the 125mph speeds   that trains will be moving through here. We’ll stop here just past these signals to  take a closer look at this area from the air. This section has always been one of my favorite  areas to pass by when driving on state road 528   with the trees along both sides of the right of  way so I was excited to see this area in person. On the right side here there  is also a drainage ditch   and a dirt access road that will provide  maintenance access once the line is open. And here is the flight back east. The right of way in this area is  wide enough for double track as well   even though only a single  track will be laid initially. This intermediate signal  looks to be complete as well. This area is ready for track  whenever crews make it to this area. That is state road 520 in the distance,  we’ll take a closer look at it in a minute. From the air, here is another simulation  of the 125mph speed through here. We’ll finish up by making our way over to  State Road 520 to look at the bridge progress. Here is the ground view at the last section of  right of way before the bridge in this area. Now at the bridge, crews are currently working  to finish up the ramp here on the west side. As for the bridge itself, crews have still  been working to get all of the pilings finished   and have been forming the pier in the median. On the east side of the road, crews  have cleared the final section of   the right of way in preparation to  start building the ramp on that side. The pilings are being cut down to their  final height. The metal pipes are where   future pilings will go when the time comes  to eventually double track this bridge. You can get a good look at  the pier in the median here. This will be the final bridge  completed here on the Orlando line. The shift in the right of way to the left  from here to be alongside State Road 528 in   the distance is due to the difference in the right  of ways that Brightline is leasing in this area.   From the airport to 520, they are leasing  the right of way from the Central Florida   Expressway Authority. From 520 east to Cocoa,  the right of way is leased from the Florida   Department of Transportation which owns  a narrower right of way in comparison.   That is why the tracks will  be directly next to the road. I would like to thank Brightline for their  assistance with filming part of this video. Coming up next time in part 3 of this series,  we look at the rest of the route to Cocoa.   This will include my first aerial  look at the Saint Johns River bridge,   the bridge over interstate  95 and the arch panel tunnel,   and finish where the tracks will join into  the Florida East Coast Railway mainline. Thanks for watching! Be sure to  hit the like button and subscribe!   Also check out my social media pages!

Channel: The Roaming Railfan

Views: 8,976

Rating: 4.9936709 out of 5

Keywords: brightline, bright line, all aboard, florida, orlando, orange, county, brevard, cocoa, passenger, rail, rails, high speed, higher speed, train, trains, road, line, state road, 528, beachline, roadbed, railroad, construction, granite, contractor, expansion, building, bridge, innovation, way, bridges, progress, installation, track, tracks, laying, ties, sleepers, orlando line, first train, exclusive, drone, narcoossee, signal, sr528, 520, sr520, dallas, blvd, borrow pits, right of way, row, subroadbed, fill, dirt, lake, aerial, special

Id: BXnitWFs424

Length: 16min 45sec (1005 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 11 2021