Texas Railway Engineering Challenge (The Katwalk Railway)

Our geological engineering firm, Kat's Construction Co., has been theoretically consulted by TXDOT to perform site investigations of seven scenic connectors along a rail line between Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. The exploration of these sites along the rail will open people's eyes to the history of our planet and its future. Our firm will evaluate each site (Inks Lake, Enchanted Rock, Pedernales Falls, Mount Bonnell, Longhorn Caverns, Barton Springs, and Waco Mammoth National Monument) for potential risks and possible mitigations. Results were collected by physical observations and measurements, research online, and field experts/guides. Our investigations led us to find that Inks Lake and Enchanted Rock have many faults and dikes from plate movement and magma intrusions. Pedernales Falls is prone to flooding from the river and the steep dip of 10°. Mount Bonnell is along the Balcones Fault Zone, which has interfered with the construction of dams in the past. Barton Springs and Longhorn Caverns are both carved out by acidic waters that dissolved limestone, which may point to sinkholes in the area. The Mammoth National Monument is situated along the Waco Wetlands, which is prone to flooding. Many of the features we investigated show history of plutonism or tectonic movement from ancient events like the Ouachita Orogeny, but they are no longer active. Many areas, however, do share the risk of flash flooding, so this would need to be addressed for the construction of the rail. We have planned a route for the railway to fit a "cat's paw" shape to add entertainment and branding while connecting all the geological sites. Our site investigation work can lead to future investigations to mitigate these issues through computer models and physical tests.