CSX warned: Fix bridges

CSX Transportation needs to clean up its act when it comes to crumbling railroad bridges, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown told the Lorain, Ohio, Morning Tribune. Citing debris falling from Lorain's 28th Street underpass, Brown wrote to CSXT Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward. He encouraged swift action to ensure falling concrete, wood and screws don't harm pedestrians or the drivers of cars and trucks going under the railroad bridges.

"I am hopeful that these
and potential other public safety concerns will quickly be remedied," Brown
wrote. "The citizens of Ohio and visitors to our state deserve swift action to
ensure that possible harm related to these bridges is avoided.

"I am confident that you
have put a plan in place to immediately address these pressing infrastructure
investments, and I would appreciate being apprised of the steps you will take,"
Brown wrote. "I appreciate CSXT’s continued contributions to Ohio and look
forward to working with you and your employees in the future to create jobs in
the freight rail industry."

Brown cited a Sept. 10
article in The Morning Journal that outlined ongoing problems with a CSXT-owned
bridge on East 28th Street in Lorain. On Sept. 9, Lorain auxiliary police
blocked the road when a piece of concrete, the size of a brick, fell onto a car
driving under the bridge.

"It is my understanding
that city authorities have been requesting repair on this bridge for nearly a
year," Brown wrote.

A CSXT crew showed up last
week to knock loose concrete off the structure and coat it to prevent water
penetrating the structure, said James Reagan, acting administrative director of
engineering and surveying for the city of Lorain. The railroad might consider
using netting around the structure to catch debris, Reagan said, but the city
has not heard of any formal CSXT plan to renovate the structure.

"This is not the first
incident and probably won’t be the last until the structure is rehabilitated,"
Reagan said last week.

Brown also cited a
Cincinnati news report last week. There pieces of the C&O railroad bridge
on the banks of the Ohio River are falling from the span, putting pedestrians
and drivers at risk of serious injury, the letter said. In Ashtabula, an August
news report detailed 101-year-old Lake Avenue Bridge that was littered with
fallen concrete and missing anchor bolts, according to Brown.