FORT MADISON, Iowa — BNSF Railway’s bridge across the Mississippi River between Fort Madison and Niota, Ill., was briefly closed today after having been struck by a barge, but has been reopened, according to authorities.
The Hancock County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office reported the closure at about 1:40 p.m.; police in Fort Madison posted on Facebook about the barge strike at roughly the same time but have since updated their report to indicate the bridge has been reopened, saying BNSF “has certified the bridge is safe and resumed both rail and vehicular traffic.”
The railroad-owned, 1,675-foot-long bridge was built between 1927 and 1929 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, carrying two tracks for BNSF’s Southern Transcon on its lower level and two lanes of vehicles on Iowa Route 2/Illinois Route 9 on its upper level. The majority of the bridge is in Illinois. The Iowa Department of Transportation describes it as a ridged-connect, double-deck swing truss bridge that opened on July 28, 1927, and says its 525-foot electrified swing span was the longest and heaviest in the country at the time it was built.
WGEM-TV reports the bridge was struck by a barge owned by the Ingram Barge Co. of Nashville, Tenn. The station has photos of the barge sinking. The barge reportedly was carrying corn.
A long-term closure of the bridge would have not only been a significant problem for the railroad, but for local residents, who would have faced detours north to Burlington, Iowa (approximately 20 miles north), or south to Keokuk (approximately 25 miles on the Iowa side) for the nearest river crossings.
