(The Associated Press circulated the following article by Edie Gross on February 11.)
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Special delivery for Michael J. Ward.
The chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp. has about 35 pounds of concrete coming at him, courtesy of former Fredericksburg Councilman Joe Wilson and UPS.
Wilson lugged the two large chunks of concrete back to his Caroline Street home after they fell off a CSX railroad overpass downtown. He boxed them up and shipped them off last week with a letter urging Ward to repair the railroad bridges that span Charles, Princess Anne, Caroline and Sophia streets before a piece of concrete falls on a pedestrian.
“I didn’t fool with the small stuff,” said Wilson, who found the 12- and 23-pound slabs lying on the Princess Anne Street sidewalk.
“They (UPS) asked me what was in the box, and I told ’em, `Rocks. It’s a box of rocks,'” he said. “She gave me a funny look.”
This is the second time Wilson has mailed bridge debris to CSX officials. About two years ago, he sent then-CSX Chairman John Snow (now the U.S. treasury secretary) a 15-pound chunk of concrete he found under the Caroline Street bridge. He and other city officials have urged the Jacksonville, Fla., company to repair the deteriorating bridges but haven’t had much luck.
CSX officials have said that replacing or refurbishing the bridges would cost several million dollars.
At CSX’s request, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis sought federal money for the project. But that federal transportation bill hasn’t passed the Senate yet.
In the meantime, Wilson said, what happens if a pedestrian walking under one of the bridges is struck by falling concrete?
“Somebody is going to be seriously injured,” he said. “If something that size hits you on the head, you’re going to feel it.”
Wilson urged City Council members on Tuesday to make dealing with CSX a priority. The council then asked City Attorney Kathleen Dooley to investigate what its legal options are.
“If possible, I’d like to see the city go to the next level with legal action against CSX,” Councilwoman Debby Girvan said. “Unless they’ re ready to take responsibility for their facilities, they’re negligent.”
At the very least, she said, CSX should hang some netting from the bridge to catch debris — until the company comes up with a permanent fix.
“No one wants to sue anyone unless they absolutely have to,” she said. “But if they don’t take this seriously and don’t stop the falling debris, we’re going to have to take some action.”
CSX spokeswoman Misty Skipper said the company hires inspectors to examine the bridges monthly and scale off any loose pieces of concrete. She wasn’t sure if Ward had received Wilson’s package, but she said he knew about the bridge issues in Fredericksburg.
“Mr. Ward is aware of the concern, and the company is certainly aware of the issue,” Skipper said.
Councilman Hashmel Turner, whose ward includes the railroad bridges, said he couldn’t understand how inspectors would sign off on the deteriorating structures. The city needs to protect its residents, he said.
“I would hate for some type of catastrophe to have to happen for them (CSX) to find some money,” he said. “We’re not going to drag our feet on this.”
For his part, Wilson sent copies of his letter to Ward on to Davis, U.S. Sens. John Warner and George Allen, and state and federal railroad officials.
“All I’m trying to do is put enough pressure on them to do the right thing,” he said.