It’s official. The State Street underpass is indeed closing later this week.
City Clerk Kerry Sull says State will close from Second to Fourth as Burlington Northern Santa Fe repairs some concrete on the bridge structure. The street will reopen to traffic when that work is over.
The bridge under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks closed Oct. 8 after cement fell from the structure and remained closed basically all last week. City Engineer Jim Ubert says the bridge is a railroad-owned structure, meaning BNSF is responsible for all maintenance and repairs. Ubert says the railroad told the city the underpass was safe for traffic, which is why the city reopened State from Second to Fourth late last week.
BNSF has not responded to KVOE News questions about why the bridge reopened or why cement was falling to the street below.
