The Easter Bunny has come an gone. I hope everyone had a good holiday. Ours was mixed with a death in the family, which helped us all to remember part of the purpose of Easter.
We had some very pleasant moments with family and our granddaughter. We dyed eggs and of course, hunted them.
It will really turn warm soon. Flowers are in bloom everywhere, and the world is turning green around us.
The South Ney Project is beginning to move again. We now have the Number 20 switch south of Berry Street Bridge installed. Ballast has been unloaded and the track surface with the first pass. It will receive more ballast and surfacing.
The South End Number 10 switch was cut in on the same day. As we get the track and ballast, progress will continue.
We have unloaded ballast on the new Number 1 and Number 2 Tracks at Mesquite Intermodal. Soon, we will close the existing 1 and 2, for completion through Fourney Road. We expect it to take six weeks. When they are put into service, we will close Number 3 and 4 for completion in about the same amount of time.
The Runaround Tracks at Big Mackie in Arlington are moving fast now that we have dry weather. In the last month, we have hauled off excess material, incorporated lime, cut to grade and have put down the base material for track construction.
This past week, I have been in Sweetwater, where the state is having a new bridge built.
We are loading out material for another project. Our Flagman is Joe A. Rivera. He is currently working the position as foreman. Joe is really a cooperative and competent, up-to-the-minute type of guy.
Joe and his wife, Ida, have four children: Rebecca,19; Ashley, 15; Bethany, 14 and Iczeek, 11. They have one grandchild, Walker Akers, the son of daughter Rebecca and her husband Christopher Akers.
We are being assisted in the loading by Dale French of Winkel Construction.
Vacations begin for most of us soon, and it is just a few weeks until school is out. We need to pay extra attention to our jobs with so much extra spring and summer activities going on.
Eddie is the ARASA Engineering Inspector in North Texas.
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