(The Chicago Daily Herald posted the following article by Amy McLaughlin on its website on March 05.)
CHICAGO — Union Pacific Railroad Co. has been ordered by a state regulators to make more repairs to the old wooden railroad bridge over the Northwest Highway S-curve in Des Plaines and inspect it twice a week for the rest of its life.
Des Plaines city officials, who have complained for years about debris falling from the bridge, call last week’s ruling from the Illinois Commerce Commission a victory.
Des Plaines officials filed a complaint with the commission nearly two years ago to try to force Union Pacific, Wisconsin Central Ltd. and the Illinois Department of Transportation to correct problems with the 70-year-old wooden bridge.
Union Pacific officials, who own the bridge, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Motorists have complained for years about debris falling from the bridge and city officials have collected boxes of metal items that have made their way to the pavement.
City Attorney David Wiltse said, at one point, he asked the commission to force the railroad companies to rebuild the bridge.
But commission officials refused to act on that request, and railroad companies subsequently filed federal lawsuits to block it.
“Everything we’d done up to this point was kind of a Band-Aid approach,” he said.
Wiltse said he’s satisfied with the commission’s order but plans to fight the railroad companies’ lawsuits.
City officials have been working with the railroads and the state transportation officials to straighten out the S-curve and get the old bridge replaced.