Opened in 2018, the award-winning Rev. Jon A. Sibley Sr. Underpass in the City of Galesburg, Illinois carries vehicle traffic beneath the BNSF Railway tracks. In addition to providing improved emergency response time, as well as traffic and train safety, the structure enhances traffic flow throughout downtown Galesburg, making it an important part of Galesburg's overall infrastructure improvement plan.

The project consisted of replacing a three main at-grade railroad crossing with three independent three-span, 250’ steel DPG bridges.

Bridge change outs completed during a 48-hour and a 60-hour work window. Excavation of the underpass was completed after installation of the bridges. The underpass work consisted of underground utility work, a pump station, earth excavation, special waste excavation, paving, sidewalks, lighting, retaining walls, soldier pile retaining wall with stone face and poured pier stems with stone face.

This underpass project utilized 5,500 CY of concrete, 1,860,000lbs of structural steel, 75,000 CY of earth excavation, 33,000 tons of aggregate subbase and 13,227ft of H pile.

Challenges included design of a sheet pile retention system between active rail lines that would support rail traffic while spans were being changed out, and installation through active rail lines, maintaining rail traffic throughout work while accommodating over 80 train movements per day in and out of BNSF’s second largest rail yard.