Rebuilding of Scott County overpass could start in July

ROCKVIEW, Mo. -- Rebuilding efforts for the Route M overpass in Scott County that partially collapsed after a cargo train collision could begin as early as July.

The overpass collapsed Saturday after a Union Pacific train struck a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train, derailing several rail cars and knocking down one of the bridge's support pillars in the process, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.

According to Mark Shelton, district engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation, all remaining parts of the damaged overpass have been taken down and the department has consulted engineering company Burns & McDonnell to design a new one. Now, they are looking for a contractor.

"The goal is to have a contract let around July 1 with the target of having a new [overpass] in early September," Shelton said.

Rebar sticks out of where the Route M overpass once stood Wednesday in Rockview, Mo. Crews are cleaning up the area where two trains collided Saturday, causing the Route M overpass to collapse. (Laura Simon)

The contract will be advertised for bidding, he said, but because it is an emergency situation the bidding time will be shortened.

"We're going to shorten the amount of time it's up for bid to about five days," Shelton said. "We're also going to expedite the process of awarding the contract. So once we get all the information gathered, we will bring it to the Highway Commission, who will actually award the contract, as soon as possible."

Shelton said early estimates have projected the cost of the replacement overpass to be about $3 million. Until the NTSB has completed its investigation, he said it's difficult to say how much or if either of the railroad companies will pay for any replacement costs.

"We're still working through that process to figure it all out and I don't want to jump to conclusions," he said. "Our way of looking at it is this: Our bridge was there, doing its own thing, then a train hit it and it collapsed. So we're certainly looking at where the responsibility lies and doing what we can to minimize the cost to taxpayers."

Train traffic also is back up and going, Shelton said, and MoDOT wants to be "diligent" about getting automobile traffic running again in the area as soon as possible.

Cleanup continues Monday, May 27, at the site of a train collision that destroyed a highway over pass in Scott County. An overpass on Route M near Rockview, Mo., collapsed after about two dozen rail cars that smashed into the bridge's support pillars when a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train and a Union Pacific train collided about 2:20 a.m. Saturday, May 25. (Adam Vogler)

"Given the circumstances, emergency response has been terrific," he said. "From the railroad, the MoDOT folks and even those who arrived on the scene when it collapsed, we've had great emergency response on all sides."

Mark Davis, director of corporate relations and media for Union Pacific, said the railroad line was reopened early Monday morning. About 600 feet of track were replaced to get train traffic moving again.

"Most traffic was detoured through other Union Pacific lines, but now the line has been reopened," he said. "Of course, we experienced some delays because of the detours, but we worked through it."

NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said the investigation into who or what caused the collision still is ongoing. He said it was a "very thorough" investigation, which would probably take about a year to complete.

"We're just now wrapping up the 'on scene' part of the investigation ... but the investigation is still ongoing to determine not only what caused the crash but also any other contributing factors to the derailment," Williams said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Rockview, Mo.