Another partial collapse of an almost century old railroad bridge in Syracuse has local officials looking for answers.
The city of Syracuse closed part of South Geddes St. late Thursday after drivers noticed falling concrete from a railroad bridge. It follows a partial railroad bridge collapse on South Clinton St. last summer. The road reopened to traffic Friday afternoon.
State Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) said it’s time to get the state involved, so she's sent a letter to the head of the NYS Rail Safety Bureau, asking for a full review of Syracuse’s rail infrastructure.
"We need to be proactive that we need to be sure that we’re not putting people in danger," May said. "People have the right to assume that if they drive under a bridge or take a train over a bridge that that bridge is going to hold their weight. And I think we have not been as carful about that as we should be.”
The city of Syracuse is working with engineers at the train company to ensure that the Geddes St. bridge is safe.
"This is gonna take vigilance. These are issues that affect infrastructure in many places," said Greg Loh, director of city initiative for the city of Syracuse. "When it comes to these railroad bridges, the city and other municipalities works within a regulatory framework established by the federal government."
Central New York Congressman John Katko (R-Camillus) is also calling on the Federal Railroad Administration to answer questions about the maintenance of these bridges.
This week, crews will install netting under the bridge to catch any more pieces of concrete that may fall.
