One of the many Texas Engineering Landmarks in celebration of Texas ASCE’s Centennial: 1913-2013 “Engineering a Better Texas.” Visit them all!
------
Railroads & surface traffic (cars, pedestrians, bicycles…) are not a friendly mix. Once on the edge of town, the transcontinental rail lines split the growing El Paso’s downtown, snarling traffic and creating a safety hazard.
In the early 20th century, a trainway was proposed to relocate the city's main railroad tracks below street level. In 1948 the massive, three-year engineering project was begun. With a cost of $5.5 million and the services of eight major contractors and twenty-two subcontractors, upon completion in 1950, the Bataan Memorial Trainway provided a six-block-long below-ground train corridor through downtown El Paso -- the first application of depressed trackage for the relocation of a mainline transcontinental railroad through a downtown urban area.
The three-year design & construction phases are but the tip of a multi-decade iceberg: fifty years of effort on the part of concerned citizens and government and private sector employees, from conception to realization. As far back as 1901, the City of El Paso passed an Ordinance requiring railroads to separate their grade crossings through the downtown area in anticipation of this issue. This ordinance went greatly unheeded, alas, complicating the final project.
In addition to excavation and construction of the below grade through-way, the Bataan Memorial Trainway required the relocation of multiple railroad tracks into a single route, as well as construction of eight bridges to carry the city streets over the depressed corridor. A 1,700 foot-high arch structural bridge was also included in the project to span the railroad yards at Cotton Street outside the Trainway area.
Named in honor of the Filipino and American POW victims and survivors of the Phillippines’ Bataan Death March during WWII (many of whom had trained at nearby Fort Bliss), the Trainway was dedicated during a national convention of ex-POWs in 1950.
Designated a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark of Texas in 2003
BATAAN MEMORIAL TRAINWAY TEXAS HISTORICAL MARKER
With the arrival of the railroads to El Paso in 1881, the train tracks marked the northern boundary of the city. As El Paso grew, the tracks divided downtown and created a time-consuming barrier for pedestrians and motorists. In the early 20th century, a trainway was proposed to place the city's main railroad tracks below street level. In 1948, eight major contractors and 22 subcontractors began work on the project. Robert E. McKee General Contractor did the largest portion of the work-regrading the railroad lines, digging the entire trench and laying new tracks. A significant work of civil engineering, the trainway cost $5,500,000 and took more than three years to complete. Over 4,500 gondola cars of dirt were excavated and eight bridges were built over the tracks. A 1,700-foot overpass across Cotton Street, several blocks east of the trainway, completed the project.
The trainway was named in honor of prisoners of war who died in enemy camps during World War II. The name Bataan was chosen to honor those soldiers-both Filipino and American-captured by the Japanese army after the fall of the Bataan Peninsula. Many of the American prisoners, including thousands from New Mexico and Texas, had trained at nearby Fort Bliss.
The trainway was officially dedicated on August 21, 1950, and Southern Pacific's "Sunset Limited" became the first passenger train to operate on the newly completed trainway. With the completion of the Bataan Memorial Trainway, traffic flowed freely and safely through downtown, aiding the city's growth and prosperity. (2002)
TEXAS HISTORIC ENGINEERING LANDMARK MARKER TEXT:
THE BATAAN MEMORIAL TRAINWAY
Constructed 1948-1950 As The First Application Utilizing Depressed Trackage For The Relocation Of A Main Line Transcontinental Railroad Through A Downtown Area.
Designated September 2003
By the Texas Section
American Society of Civil Engineers.
Records:
Owners- shared by the City of El Paso, the Union Pacific Railroad Company, and the Texas Department of Transportation
Engineer- Mr. Harlan H. Hugg, Project Engineer and Manager, De Leuw Cather and Company of Chicago
Harland H. Hugg PE, El Paso general manager and chief engineer of the project.
Contractor- R.E. McKee Co. of El Paso (one of 8 major contractors) performed the greatest portion of work).
Sources/Further Reading:
Texas ASCE HECL Application Hb p. 71-72
Bataan Memorial Trainway Research Packet and Narrative by: Ernie Rogers, Armando Sanchez, Dr. George D. Torok (
visit link)
Trainweb – Bataan Memorial Trainway (
visit link)
El Paso Times Archive photos: Bataan Memorial Trainway (
visit link)
Bataan Memorial Trainway, El Paso, Texas (Youtube) (
visit link)
Other waymarks:
Bataan Memorial Trainway in Texas Historical Markers (
visit link)