(The Delaware News Journal posted the following story by Sean O’Sullivan on its website on August 14.)
WILMINGTON, Del. — One of the three closed bridges at the center of a dispute between CSX Transportation and the Delaware Department of Transportation is set to reopen, albeit with restrictions.
The Newport Road bridge, which has been closed since October 2002, will reopen Friday to cars and vehicles with three axles or less, such as trash trucks and school buses, DelDOT announced Wednesday. The bridge, near Delcastle Technical High School, carries traffic over the CSX tracks.
Vehicles with more than three axles will be prohibited because of weight limits.
Two other bridges in Wilmington, the Sixth Street and Seventh Street bridges over CSX tracks, remain closed. A fourth bridge involved in the dispute, over tracks at Ninth Street, is open with a 3-ton limit.
DelDOT officials said CSX performed some repairs on the Newport bridge in April and May, but the work did not comply with state design standards and it is still considered “obsolete.” But a load test conducted by DelDOT in July showed the bridge has enough capacity to safely carry smaller vehicles.
Wednesday, DelDOT said the decision to open the bridge “is only a short-term solution being done for the convenience of the community that has been severely inconvenienced by the extended closure.”
DelDOT spokesman Michael Williams said CSX has not done any work on the other two closed bridges.
CSX officials declined to comment Wednesday.
Newport Mayor Donald H. Mulrine praised DelDOT’s decision to open the bridge, saying it will make life easier for area residents.
At the same time, he said he hopes CSX “owns up to its responsibility” and completes repairs to area bridges to bring them up to modern state standards.
Last month, the railroad company filed a federal lawsuit against DelDOT and Wilmington to resolve the matter of who has responsibility for the four aging bridges, some of which are more than 100 years old. The Newport Road bridge is about 50 years old.
CSX claims the bridges are the responsibility of DelDOT and argues that the agency should use federal highway money to make repairs.
DelDOT maintains that CSX is the owner and is responsible for the estimated $4.5 million in needed repairs.