Ohio rail bridge closes after rocks fall from structure

Norfolk Southern

Rocks falling from a railroad bridge in downtown Amherst, Ohio, had train service paused for further inspection on March 2.

Norfolk Southern owns the overpass on South Main Street, and when police checked the site one officer noticed a 12-in. square opening in the structure. The door to a maintenance hatch might have given way. A portion of South Main Street was closed to traffic.

Railroad crews arrived and made an inspection and repairs, and said the bridge was structurally sound. Metal sheeting over steel beams had rust spots, and the workers believed rocks were falling through those spots.

The city is expected to ask Norfolk Southern to conduct inspections of the bridge every three months. The Class 1 has been approached about painting the structure, but there has been no response.

The bridge also has been the site of several accidents involving trucks getting stuck under the structure.

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