Commerce City reports two Class I freight rail lines inside its borders, and for a plant on one of them the spur is the difference between shipping by rail and shipping by truck. The spur is also the least forgiving part of the site. Track geometry tolerates very little movement, the railroad reviews the design, and a drainage mistake under ballast can show up as a track defect two seasons later.
We build the site improvements around rail service: the graded corridor, the subgrade, the drainage, the road crossings, the unloading pads and containment, and the tie-in to the serving carrier's requirements. The track installation itself follows the railroad's standards and its approved contractor list, and we coordinate our work around it so the corridor is ready when the track crew arrives.
That coordination is where most schedule risk sits. A spur adds a third party with its own review timeline, its own standards and its own work windows, and the date a plant can receive its first railcar is set by whichever party is slowest. We treat the railroad submittal as a critical-path item from the first week of preconstruction.
The civil work behind a spur
The corridor is cleared, graded and drained to a profile that fits the railroad's grade and curvature limits. We prepare a stable subgrade, add the separation and drainage layers the track design calls for, and construct the side ditches and culverts so water leaves the track structure quickly. Where the spur crosses a truck route, we build the road crossing surface and approach pavement to the railroad's requirements, with signage and sight lines that the plant's own traffic plan respects.
Beside the track, we build the working pads: unloading and loading areas, transload pads, scale foundations and spill containment where bulk liquids or chemicals are moved. Those pads are concrete flatwork designed for forklift and truck loads, and we tie their grades into the yard drainage described under stormwater detention and drainage. For a plant that ships or receives heavy items by car, we also size the adjacent roadway through heavy haul access roads.
Rail-served land along the Front Range and plains
Rail access is a land attribute that shows up in how parks are marketed. Great Western Industrial Park in Windsor advertises dual rail interchanges to Union Pacific and BNSF, and Commerce Yards at 96th Avenue and Heinz Way is a 466,000 square foot, three-building industrial project with rail access in an Enterprise Zone. South of Colorado Springs, a 2018 study examined a rail-served industrial park on the roughly 3,000-acre Christian Ranch just south of Fountain, with about 18 miles of internal track connecting to both BNSF and Union Pacific.
Those numbers show what rail-served sites look like once they reach scale: track is a long linear asset, and every mile of it has civil work attached. On the eastern plains, Sterling is served by both Union Pacific and Burlington Northern, and its economy is based on agriculture along with oil and gas, which is a bulk-commodity pattern that tends to use rail well.
Working beside live track
If the spur connects to an active line, the railroad controls access to its right-of-way, and its flagging, insurance and clearance requirements apply to any work inside that boundary. We plan around those requirements, keep personnel and equipment out of the track clearance envelope, and sequence the work so heavy equipment never has to cross a live line without protection.
Inside the plant boundary, the hazards are a little different but just as real. Railcars move quietly, with long stopping distances. We help the plant mark clearance lines, stage car spots away from pedestrian routes, and build crossings with enough surface and visibility that a forklift operator sees the car before the car reaches him. Derail locations and blue flag stations are shown on the plans for the plant operator to adopt.
Where the railroad's calendar controls yours
The railroad's review of the spur design, its industry track agreement and its crew availability all sit outside our control. The date for first car delivery depends on getting those items moving early, so we submit the track layout as soon as the site plan is stable. Material lead times for turnouts, rail and ties also run on their own clock, which is why they are listed in our procurement plan from the beginning.
We schedule the civil work in two passes. The first brings the corridor to subgrade early so the track crew can start when its window opens. The second finishes crossings, pads and paving once the track is in, which protects the finished surfaces from track equipment. If the building is under construction on the same site, the same sequence feeds a warehouse shell that is ready to take a car as soon as the spur is.
Rail with the rest of the logistics package
A spur works only if the building and yard are laid out to use it. Dock positions, transload areas and the truck court need to share the same plan, so the cross-dock lanes and railcar spots do not interfere. See how that integration works in a truck terminal and cross-dock, where rail and truck traffic meet.
Rail also suits process industries that receive bulk ingredients or ship heavy product. Our work for food and beverage plants shows how car spots, unloading pits and wastewater collection are coordinated. Whatever the product, we align the spur's capacity with your throughput so the track does not become a bottleneck once the plant is running.
Settle the spur layout with the railroad early
Share the site plan, the carrier and your expected car counts and we will return a corridor layout, drainage concept and submittal schedule. Contact Industrial Contractors of Colorado to start.
Common Questions
Who builds the track and who builds the site improvements?
The track normally follows the serving railroad's standards and is installed by a contractor it approves. We build the corridor, subgrade, drainage, crossings, pads and containment, and we coordinate so that the track crew finds a corridor ready to receive its work. That split keeps the railroad's liability and our scope clearly defined.
How long does it take to get a spur approved?
Review times vary by railroad and by how complete the submittal is. A clear plan with grades, curve data and a drainage layout moves faster than a sketch. We submit early and keep the file current so questions are answered in days instead of weeks.
What drainage does a spur need?
Water must leave the ballast section quickly, because standing water softens the subgrade and moves ballast. We shape the corridor to drain, add ditches and culverts and keep site runoff from flowing into the track structure. The drainage is designed together with the rest of the site, not as a stand-alone item.
Can we add a spur to an existing plant?
Often yes, if the land and grades allow. The checks are curvature, clearance to buildings, and whether the serving carrier will accept the connection. We survey the corridor first, then run the grades and clearances so you know before design money is spent.
What does a rail crossing in our truck lane involve?
The crossing needs a surface that handles the combined loads, approach grades that suit trucks and signage for drivers. We build it to the railroad's details and keep the truck path clear of stopped railcars.