Piles of railroad ties have been lined up along the Union Pacific tracks downtown as the company prepares to replace the old ties. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current

ROCKFORD — Piles of railroad ties are lined up along the Union Pacific railroad tracks downtown near the Rock River Recreation Path as the railroad company prepares to replace old ties.

Replacing the ties is part of standard maintenance, company spokesperson Mike Jaixen said in an email.

“We don’t have a specific date when the work will begin at this time, but it’s anticipated to be within the next month or so,” he said.

He said the work is not expected to require closure of the recreation path or Madison Street, where the train moves through downtown.

Old railroad ties like this will soon be replaced during routine maintenance by Union Pacific railroad. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.