Sturtevant Passenger Rail Station

Technical Description:

• Width: 6 ft
• Span: 50 ft
• Style: Connector^®
• Finish: Painted
• Decking: Concrete

In 1998 the Governor of Wisconsin made the decision to replace an old Amtrak station built in 1903. After many years of stalled demolition, the new construction began in September 2005.

The original design for the station included a tunnel to move pedestrians under the heavily traveled rails. When the costs for tunneling under active rail lines and utility relocation became too high the design team proposed a stair tower/pedestrian bridge over the rails. The concrete stair towers rise more than 40 feet above the tracks and are constructed of a combination of structural precast and cast-in-place concrete, which are clad in brick and stone. The towers are approximately 15 feet from an active rail line and support the steel truss bridge suspended 25 feet above the rail lines.

Twenty-six trains pass through the Sturtevant Railway Station during an eight-hour shift and Amtrak did not want to interrupt service while the new bridge was set in place. Riley Construction had only 90 minutes to install the span after one train passed through, and they were able to pick up the bridge and move it into place before the next train arrived.

The project has attracted much attention including winning a 2006 “Top Project Award” from Wisconsin Builder magazine. The architecture of the new pedestrian overpass compliments the historic character of the nearby depot. Together, the towers and bridge are the landmark the city had hoped for and a visible element of Sturtevant’s commitment to the Milwaukee/Chicago Amtrak corridor.

Technical Description:

• Width: 6 ft
• Span: 50 ft
• Style: Connector^®
• Finish: Painted
• Decking: Concrete