CME.08 – Canadian Pacific Railroad Project in the Village of Bensenville, Illinois

• Abedallah Alforookh
• Alexander Banuelos
• Kurt Castillo
• Christian Correa
• Stephanie Kolar
• Milad Muneer
• Akram Salah

The Chicagoland area is known to be one of the busiest rail hubs in the United States. Immense automobile traffic delays are frequent occurrences at numerous railroad crossings due to the large flow of passenger and freight trains. The Village of Bensenville is one of many locations in the Chicagoland area that is being dramatically affected by the daily, extensive traffic delays caused by the Canadian Pacific Railway and other rail traffic. When considering the anticipated increase in rail traffic at the existing railroad crossing in Bensenville’s downtown area, it becomes obvious that it will be necessary to design and implement a method to circumvent automobile traffic around the rail crossings in downtown Bensenville. Through installation of a grade-separated roadway, such as an overpass, an improvement to traffic, commerce, mobility, and most importantly, the safety through the corridor for all users, including motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike, will be achieved.
The site of the overpass must be adequate and capable of safely and effectively containing the structure, but it is important to note that the design team wants to ensure that the location of the overpass will not bypass downtown Bensenville. This design constraint will ensure that no businesses in the downtown area will be negatively impacted by the implementation of this project. With this constraint in mind, along with extensive research, it was determined that the ideal location of the overpass would connect York Road and Railroad Street.
Our team will work in conjunction with the Village of Bensenville, O’Hare International Airport, and the Professional Engineers at Christopher B. Burke Engineering (CBBEL). Through collaboration with the Village’s Public Works Department, it has been determined that our team’s primary focus is on the analysis and design of the overhead structure, the project’s estimated cost and duration, and the impacts to the surrounding area. These tasks will be completed by recreating the existing conditions using MicroStation, calculating the vertical curves and heights of the overpass necessary for safe and adequate travel, and using AutoCAD to create a 3D model of the proposed structure. With this information, the team can then determine a reasonable estimate of the overall costs for the project with the use of various financial calculations. CBBEL has previously conducted a preliminary analysis of the existing roadway conditions, and the Right-of-Way purchased from O’Hare, which has been considered in our proposed facility.
The health, safety, and well-being of the public was our team’s main priority throughout the project. Extensive research, calculations, and field visits have allowed us to meet these standards and successfully design the proposed facility while abiding by all constraints.