BNSF Plans Two Controlled Rail Bridge Demolitions
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
BNSF
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – BNSF plans to complete two controlled blasts of a collapsed rail bridge that crosses the Big Sioux River.
The collapsed bridge connects North Sioux City and Sioux City. The first controlled blast will take place on August 16th on the South Dakota side of the river. The second controlled blast will happen on the Iowa side on September 6th. The permit was secured through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. BNSF has also said it has secured local permits to use charges to dismantle the rail bridge. Additionally, BNSF is anticipating a Section 408 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding water work and permanent levee impact.
According to a report from SiouxlandProud, BNSF will go door-to-door with local residents and businesses within a 1,000-foot perimeter, and it has begun “conversations with local law enforcement and first responders to communicate the demolition plan and ensure public safety.”
Aside from the blasts, BNSF is working to construct a temporary ring levee to protect the community “while they dismantle and recover the bridge on the South Dakota side of the river.”
The full statement from BNSF General Director Public Affairs, Lena Kent, is below:
“For several weeks we have been consulting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and local levee sponsors on the removal plan for the BNSF bridge in the Big Sioux River at North Sioux City, SD and Sioux City, IA. While BNSF anticipates receiving the Section 408 permit in the coming days from the USACE relating to work in the waterway and impact to the permanent levee, BNSF is also working through all of the other steps required to begin the removal work, including providing notice to the community about how we will dismantle the failed bridge spans.
Crews plan to conduct a controlled blast for demolition of the span on the South Dakota side of the river on August 16th, and on September 6th for the span on the Iowa side. Local permits are secured for using charges to help dismantle the structure, but demolition will not occur until after the USACE permit is secured. In addition to door-to-door contacts beginning this week with residents and businesses within a 1,000-foot perimeter of the project area, BNSF has begun conversations with local law enforcement and first responders to communicate the demolition plan and ensure public safety. We will communicate more specifics on timing of the blast operations and any other local impacts following additional conversations with the cities.
Additional steps that are underway in preparation for the bridge span removals include the construction of a temporary levee, known as a ring levee, to provide protection to the community while the recovery process occurs. This levee is designed to provide the same level of protection as the permanent levee. Once the USACE permit is received, the plan is to shave off a small portion of the existing levee to allow the necessary equipment to access down to the river and remove the bridge spans.”
