Not the last spike, but the last weld on LRT extension
During the first week of November, workers for Balfour Beatty Rail lower a rail in place in the intersection of Fifth Street and First Avenue to extend the Hiawatha LRT track from the Warehouse Station to the new Minneapolis Multimodal Station, which will be the terminus for Hiawatha and Central Corridor LRT trains as well as Northstar commuter rail trains. While rail was being lowered in place for one track, crews performed the final welds, which are akin to driving the last spikes, on the other adjacent track. The process involved clamping the rail together, using an acetylene torch to heat the spot to be welded, positioning a metal bucket containing chemicals over the spot and igniting them to create a chemical reaction. Workers stood back while sparks flew and the cold steel turned to molten metal. After a minute or so, they removed the bucket and pounded and ground the rail smooth.
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