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38-484: Construction began in 1951 by the Morrison–Knudsen Corporation, with groundbreaking ceremonies on April 1. The Clark Fork River had to be diverted with two coffer dams and speed was necessary because spring flooding threatened the river diversion and coffer dam integrity. Thirty-two tons of dynamite was used to blast 50,000 cubic yards (38,000 m) of rock from the canyon walls in order to prep

76-744: A greatly diminished presence in Idaho, the last positions in Boise were eliminated in 2015. Lucin Cutoff The Lucin Cutoff is a 102-mile (164 km) railroad line in Utah , United States that runs from Ogden to its namesake in Lucin . The most prominent feature of the cutoff was a twelve-mile-long (19 km) railroad trestle crossing the Great Salt Lake , which

114-418: A separate rail systems division in 1972. Initially, the company rebuilt locomotives, such as the four Delaware & Hudson ALCO PAs . It rebuilt four Southern Pacific GE U25Bs with a Sulzer V-12 prime mover . These locomotives, designated M-K TE70-4S , operated from 1978 to 1987. It also built locomotives, originally under its own name and later under subsidiary MK Rail from 1994 to 1996, such as

152-495: A team of horses and a fresno scraper . Their first venture together was in 1912, on a pump plant in nearby Grand View for $ 14,000; they lost money but gained experience. MK earned some revenue in 1914, when they constructed the Three Mile Falls Diversion Dam, south of Umatilla, Oregon . For several years, the firm built irrigation canals, logging roads, and railways; they incorporated in 1923,

190-659: Is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Wabtec. MK also entered the passenger railcar rebuilding market in the 1980s, initially located at the former Erie Railroad shop in Hornell, New York . It overhauled and rebuilt many New York City Transit subway cars between 1984 and 1992 including all R26 / R28s , all R29s , most R32s , some R36s (through a pilot program), many R42s , many R44s , and all R46s . It also overhauled NJ Transit 's Arrow I series cars, converting from electric MUs to Comet 1B push-pull coaches, and SEPTA 's Silverliner II and III series electric commuter cars in

228-727: The BART C2 cars was opened in Pittsburg, California in 1993. MK also built Metra gallery cars , Amtrak Viewliner I sleeping cars , the Caltrans California Cars (1994–96) and other rail passenger cars and light rail. By 1995, Morrison–Knudsen was facing bankruptcy, with more than 60% of the company's previous-year net loss of $ 350 million occurring in the MK Transit division. A special purpose company, named Amerail (American Passenger Rail Car Company),

266-583: The Kabul government tasked Morrison-Knudsen with a large array of construction tasks in Afghanistan , including irrigation and a hydroelectric dam in the Helmand Province area. Morrison was featured on the cover of Time magazine on May 3, 1954, and the article claimed Morrison was "the man who has done more than anyone else to change the face of the earth." In the late 1950s, MK constructed

304-670: The MK5000C and the F40PHM-2C . Its Australian operation, based in Whyalla , South Australia , rebuilt 17 CL and eight AL class locomotives for Australian National and six DE class locomotives for BHP in the 1990s. Morrison–Knudsen spun-off MK Rail in 1993; it became a publicly traded company in 1994. After Morrison–Knudsen's bankruptcy in 1996 the company renamed itself MotivePower . The company merged with Westinghouse Air Brake Company in 1999 to form Wabtec . MotivePower

342-743: The Rimutaka Tunnel in New Zealand, the longest rail tunnel in the southern hemisphere. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, MK was involved in the construction of the Hamersley & Robe River and Mount Newman railways in the Pilbara region of Western Australia . From 1962 to 1972, MK managed a joint venture to serve the U.S. military as civilian contractors for infrastructure in the Vietnam War ; in 1971, they constructed 384 of

380-650: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline , and many other large projects of American infrastructure . MK's origins date to 1905, when Harry Morrison, Chairman and President met Morris Knudsen while working on the construction of the New York Canal ( Boise Project ) in southwestern Idaho. Morrison was a 20-year-old concrete superintendent for the Reclamation Service ; Knudsen was a forty-something Nebraska farmer (and Danish immigrant) with

418-416: The golden spike was driven in 1869. By going west across the lake from Ogden to Lucin, it cut 44 miles (71 km) off the original route and also significantly decreased curvature and grades. Built under the direction of SP chief engineer William Hood, a team of 3,000 SP workers worked seven days a week to build the line. When the line opened, it included short causeways extending from the western shore of

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456-480: The 1940s it had become apparent that the old trestle was functionally obsolete, a choke point due to only having one track, and deteriorated to the point where much more money was spent on it than deemed acceptable. Because of this, construction on earthen causeway to bypass the structure began in 1955. It would be a parallel dirt and rock causeway that connected to the existing ones. It was built under contract by Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho . The new construction

494-661: The BART C2 cars. After this transfer, the site was used for overhaul of the older BART A and B cars . Morrison–Knudsen had also bid on this contract, but lost out to AEG Transportation Systems (who were then acquired by Daimler-Benz , becoming part of Adtranz shortly after). The Hornell site was bought by GEC-Alsthom in July 1997, following unsuccessful attempts at a joint venture to bid on new contracts. The final site in Chicago closed in mid-1998, when work on contracts for Metra

532-536: The Cabinet Gorge Reservoir riverbank between Noxon and Heron, Montana . Morrison%E2%80%93Knudsen Morrison–Knudsen (MK) was an American civil engineering and construction company, with headquarters in Boise, Idaho . MK designed and constructed major infrastructure throughout the world and was one of the consortium of firms that built Hoover Dam , San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge ,

570-531: The Lucin Cutoff in each direction daily. The cutoff received its first modification a few months after opening. Fill was placed underneath the tracks to reduce their sagging. This was completed six months later. In 1920, a project began to replace the trestle's deck and construct additional bracing. It was completed by 1927. In 1929, the eastern causeway was widened. Additionally, the Midlake station

608-410: The breach beneath the 2016 bridge. This berm slows the flow of saltier water from the northern arm of the lake into the southern arm, as the increased salinity was beginning to have effects on the ecology of the southern part of the lake. Even though the lake's elevation in the southern part remained slightly higher than the northern part, the saltier water in the northern arm (which is denser and heavier)

646-435: The construction site. Water was diverted through two 1,000-foot (300 m) tunnels, and a 500,000 cubic yards (380,000 m) of earth was excavated from the site overall. Construction on the dam was completed in 1952 in half the estimated time. The dam is currently owned and operated by the power company Avista , formerly Washington Water Power. On August 13, 2017, a train derailment dumped more than 3,500 tons of coal on

684-575: The infamous "tiger cage" cells of Côn Sơn Prison . The group was called RMK-BRJ and included Raymond International, Brown & Root , and JA Jones Construction Company. MK was also involved in the construction of rail projects such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) extension (MK also built 80 C2 cars for BART in 1994) and the single track Apoera-Bakhuys Railway in Suriname (1976–1977). Morrison–Knudsen established

722-414: The lake and the edge of Promontory Point , connected with a nearly twelve-mile-long (19 km) wooden trestle . The cutoff also included a causeway which spanned Bear River Bay from the eastern shore of the lake to Promontory Point. This section included a 600-foot-long (180 m) trestle to allow Bear River water to flow into the lake. By 1908, five passenger trains and seven freight trains were using

760-520: The lake level. In 1986, the causeway was almost entirely rebuilt after flooding caused its filling to sink into the water. During the flooding of the 1980s, this buildup included placing 1,430 surplus railcars along the northern edge of the causeway and filling them with rock to act as gabions (this feature is known as the "Boxcar Seawall.") In 1993, the railroad sold salvage rights to the trestle and Cannon Structures, Inc., through its Trestlewood division, and began to dismantle it. Work on demolishing

798-607: The largest companies in the industry. Following the acquisition, the MK's corporate name changed to Washington Group International in July 2000. Issues with the Raytheon acquisition caused WGI to declare bankruptcy in 2001 – virtually eliminating all shareholder value, but later successfully exited it. WGI was acquired by rival URS Corporation of San Francisco in 2007, which was acquired by AECOM of Los Angeles in 2014. With

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836-557: The late 1980s. Vehicles overhauled in the 1990s included Metra Highliner I EMU cars, an Amtrak Turboliner RTL-II , as well as BTC-1C passenger cars and US Standard Light Rail Vehicles for the MBTA . MK later expanded into building new cars, taking over the former Pullman Company factory in Chicago in 1992. The CTA 3200 series and Metro-North M6 "Cosmopolitan" cars were built by MK in 1992–1994. A third site for assembling

874-493: The level of the water in the arms of the lake has begun to equalize. As of April 30, 2017, the level of the lake in the northern arm is within a foot of the southern arm. Due to the Southwestern North American megadrought , the amount of fresh water flowing into the southern arm of the lake had dropped significantly enough that, during the summer of 2022, a 4-foot-high (1.2 m) berm was constructed in

912-724: The many subdivisions of the Overland Route . Due to the obstruction of water flow caused by the Lucin Cutoff, the Great Salt Lake appears to be different colors in aerial photographs; water north of the Cutoff appears red or brown, while water south of the Cutoff is more green. Built by the Southern Pacific Company (SP) between February 1902 and March 1904, the cutoff bypassed the original Central Pacific Railroad route through Promontory Summit where

950-537: The original causeway construction. The culverts allowed for boat traffic and a limited amount of water to flow from the lake's southern arm (where surrounding freshwater rivers emptied into the lake) into the lake's northern arm. In the early 1980s, Utah experienced heavy flooding, and much of the extra water along the Wasatch Front flowed into the Great Salt Lake. This resulted in the lake experiencing historic high water levels and flooding nearby landowners. To aid

988-535: The original track between Lucin and Corinne, Utah was removed, including the remaining spikes on Promontory Point, and the scrap metal was donated to the war effort. In late 1944, the Cutoff was the site of a train wreck in which 48 people were killed. A westbound mail express train ran into the back of a slower moving passenger train in thick fog. In 1945, the Midlake station was razed and demolished as part of an upgrade to centralized traffic control . By

1026-451: The railroad causeway that spanned across the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The Lucin Cutoff causeway allowed trains to operate at full operating speeds instead of the slower speeds required to safely travel over the deteriorating wooden trestle crossing parallel to it. The causeway is estimated to have used 65 million tons of rock and gravel. In the 1950s it was involved in the construction of

1064-399: The railroad was required to build a bridge and breach the causeway under that bridge. Construction of a 180-foot-long (55 m) bridge was completed in fall 2016, although the railroad agreed to delay opening the breach for a few months, due to environmental and water level concerns. The causeway was breached beneath the 180-foot bridge on December 1, 2016. Since the opening of the causeway

1102-475: The trestle itself was completed by 2000. Trestlewood continues to market and sell the salvaged trestle wood. In March 2011, Union Pacific Railroad (UP), the successor to the Southern Pacific,-requested permission to close the two 1950s-era culverts because of damage related to age and a sinking of the causeway into the lake bed; the two culverts were closed in 2012 and 2013. To mitigate the effects,

1140-470: The two culverts in channeling water to the northern arm, the State of Utah constructed a 300-foot-long (90 m) bridge at the western end of the causeway. The state breached the causeway under the new bridge on August 1, 1984, allowing pent-up water from the southern arm to flow into the northern arm. The continual slow sinking of the causeway has on occasion required more material to raise its height above

1178-592: The war, MK expanded into a variety of international construction fields. MK won contracts for many domestic and foreign Cold War projects. It built the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway , the Distant Early Warning Line system, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, Minuteman missile silos, NASA ’s Kennedy Space Center , and over 100 major dams. In 1946, King Mohammad Zahir Shah and

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1216-533: The year gross revenues topped $ 1 million. MK reached a significant milestone with its joint venture in the construction of Hoover Dam (1932–35). During World War II, MK built airfields, storage depots, and bases throughout the Pacific , and built ships along the West Coast . Japanese forces captured 1,200 workers, including many MK employees, stationed on Midway and Wake Islands in late 1941. After

1254-406: Was closed after being effectively replaced by the bridge station. However, its buildings were kept in place to serve as living quarters for the signal operators. In 1932, two more piles were added to each bay next to the trestles, and 2,038 bracing piles were added. In 1941, the telegraph building at the Midlake station was reopened as part of World War II related military operations. In 1942,

1292-738: Was completed. In 1991, MK purchased a 49% shareholding in New Zealand construction contractor McConnell Dowell . By the 1990s, Morrison–Knudsen had been led into some risky non-core areas by Boise native William Agee , who became CEO in 1988 and was ousted by the board of directors in February 1995. MK had announced a loss of $ 310 million for fiscal year 1994, and a leak of an intended Agee resignation drew broad media attention which resulted in Agee resigning earlier than originally planned. The company had been in financial difficulty for several years, and declared bankruptcy that same year. It

1330-572: Was formed so that Morrison–Knudsen could divest itself of this loss-making division, while also allowing the remaining MK Transit contracts to be completed. The new company was funded by Morrison–Knudsen's creditors, led by the Fidelity and Deposit Company in Baltimore , and was headquartered in Chicago . The Pittsburg site was transferred to Adtranz in December 1995, following completion of

1368-676: Was in use from 1904 until the late 1950s, when it was replaced by an earthen causeway . The cutoff was originally built by the Southern Pacific Railroad as a means of shortening the First transcontinental railroad . Today the cutoff is owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad as a significant part of the Lakeside Subdivision , which runs from Ogden to Wells, Nevada , and is one of

1406-438: Was opened to use by freight by late 1959, at which point the old trestle was restricted and improvements ceased. In the mid-1970s, the trestle was abandoned after it had become too deteriorated for continued use. Throughout 1983 and 1984, the causeway was raised to prevent flood damage. The causeway prevented lake water from flowing as freely as the open trestle had, and to help mitigate effects, two culverts were included in

1444-592: Was purchased by Washington Group in 1996 for $ 380 million. For several years after the 1996 merger, the company continued as Morrison–Knudsen. Growth by acquisition brought it into the top tier (by size) of American construction firms. In 1999, MK acquired the government-services operations of Westinghouse Electric Company , becoming a science and technology services leader. The company expanded its market leadership in 2000 by acquiring Raytheon Engineers & Constructors, which owned engineering giant Rust International of Birmingham, Alabama , to produce one of

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