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[CNJRoss]

Friends of BNSF 4/9/20

 

 

 

 

 

New Bridge Will Help North Dakota Business Get to Market

The BNSF Railway bridge over the Missouri River at Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota is more than 100 years old and needs to be replaced.

The timely replacement of the bridge will ensure continued safe and efficient railroad shipments of agricultural and industrial products, which are critical to the well-being and economic vitality of the region.

Want to follow and support this important project and other North Dakota rail issues? Text “Railbridge” to 52886 from your mobile device for the latest news about the project and how you can help. Or if you prefer, visit https://p2a.co/0PAb9j4.

 

 

 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

RT&S, 3/7/22

 

All this time North Dakota may be owner of rail bridge at center of tug-o-war

 

Another player has entered the game involving the preservation or destruction of the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge—the state of North Dakota.

 

According to the Friends of the Rail Bridge, a group that is trying to keep BNSF from demolishing the 139-year-old span the crosses the Missouri River, the state is actually the owner of the bridge, not the Class 1 company.

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[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire, 3/11/22

 

State won’t enter dispute over ownership of North Dakota bridge

 

March 11, 2022

 

Preservation group claims Bismarck-Mandan bridge is owned by state, not BNSF, which seeks to replace it

 

The piers of the railroad bridge over the Missouri River at Bismarck, N.D., date to 1883. BNSF wants to replace the bridge. (Northern Pacific)

 

BISMARCK, N.D. — The state of North Dakota will not become involved in a claim that the state owns a BNSF rail bridge slated for replacement, leading the preservation group that made the contention to say it is “shocked” by the decision.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

BNSF gets state permit for Bismarck bridge project

 

December 13, 2022

 

North Dakota agency turns down preservation group’s hearing request

 

BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway’s plans to replace a more than century-old bridge across the Missouri River took another step forward Monday, while a preservation group’s effort to stop the bridge project sustained another setback.

 

The Bismarck Tribune reports the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality issued the water quality certification necessary for BNSF to build a structure to replace the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge, parts of which date to 1882. At the same time, the department turned down a request from the Friends of the Rail Bridge to hold an administrative hearing on the permit request, saying no state or federal rules require one, and the concerns of the preservation group are beyond the scope of the department’s authority.

 

BNSF is seeking to build a new bridge about 20 feet upriver from the current bridge, after which it would tear down the current structure, which the U.S. Coast Guard has determined is the project’s best alternative.  . . .

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Railway Track & Structures, 12/14/22

 

BNSF Rail Bridge Project Makes Gains With Water Certification

 

BNSF Railway’s plans to build a new bridge over the Missouri River, linking Bismarck and Mandan, made headway Dec. 12 as state regulators issued a water quality certification crucial to move forward with the project.

 

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) said it determined that the planned work—removing the existing bridge and building a modern structure—will comply with the state’s water quality specifications.

 

Water quality certification is required under federal and state water pollution control rules to ensure that federally permitted actions do not violate state law or water quality standards.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Railway Track and Structures, 6/21/23

 

BNSF Begins Construction on New Railway Bridge

 

Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor

 

 

 

BISMARCK, Nd. – BNSF will remove a 140 year old railway bridge and replace it with a new railway bridge that will last another one hundred years.

 

The Bismarck Tribune has reported that BNSF will begin the construction of a new railway bridge Wednesday. The rail bridge, located between Bismarck and Mandan in North Dakota, will cross over the Missouri River. The construction will impede traffic, according to DOT officials. The current rail bridge is 1,470 feet long and was built over one hundred forty years ago. The Coast Guard agreed with BNSF that the railway bridge needed to be rebuilt. 

 

BNSF has acquired the state and federal permits to complete the project with two of those permits currently challenged in court by The Friends of the Rail Bridge. The local nonprofit group wants to keep the original bridge and convert it into a pedestrian bridge at a cost of less than $7 million.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Friends of BNSF, 6/21/23

Bismarck Bridge Project Gets a New Website

 

 

Summer '23 Update

 

We’re excited to be starting construction for our new railroad bridge at Bismarck and Mandan.
 
All of the permits and approvals needed to proceed have been obtained, and clearing and grubbing and other prep work has begun on both sides of the river.
 
We want to keep you updated on the project, so we’re proud to introduce the new Bismarck Bridge Project website. Here you will find:

• Regular updates on project progress
• The history of the BNSF bridge
• Details of BNSF’s partnership in the regional economy
• Community and environmental benefits of the new bridge

 We hope you visit the site and return regularly to see how the bridge project is moving along. We’re happy to have you along for the ride!

 

Have a Question for Us?

 

Do you have a question about BNSF or the Bismarck Bridge Project? Send them to amy.mcbeth@bnsf.com.

 

Emergencies - Call 800-832-5452 

To report a vehicle stalled on a crossing, suspicious circumstances, malfunctioning crossing gates and lights, or any other emergency, call 800-832-5452 immediately.

 

[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Judge dismisses preservation group’s appeal of permits for new BNSF bridge in Bismarck

 

June 24, 2023

 

Ruling says Friends of Rail Bridge failed to take key step before going to court

 

BISMARCK, N.D. — A state judge in North Dakota has dismissed a permit appeal by the preservation group seeking to block demolition of BNSF Railway’s 140-year-old bridge over the Missouri River.

 

The Bismarck Tribune reports that South Central Judicial District Court Judge Jackson Lofgren on Friday dismissed on technical grounds the appeal by the Friends of the Rail Bridge. The group was seeking to overturn a decision by the state Department of Water Resources in April to grant BNSF the two permits needed to replace the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge, parts of which date to 1882. One of the permits allows construction of the new bridge, and one is for demolition of the existing structure.

 

Lofgren said state law requires a party “aggrieved by an action or decision” of the Water Resources department to request a hearing from the department in 30 days. Only after that hearing can the decision be appealed to district court.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Fight over BNSF bridge moves to North Dakota Supreme Court

 

July 14, 2023

 

Preservation group challenges technicalities that led to dismissal of appeal in lower court

 

BISMARCK, N.D. — The group seeking to prevent BNSF Railway from demolishing a 141-year-old bridge over the Missouri River is taking its long-running effort to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

 

The Bismarck Tribune reports that the Friends of the Rail Bridge preservation group, joined by the Downtown Business Association of Bismarck, is seeking to overturn a lower-court ruling that threw out its appeal of two state permits needed by BNSF to replace the current bridge with a new structure [see “Judge dismisses preservation group’s appeal …,” Trains News Wire, June 24, 2023].

 

While the preservation group says it is not opposed to the new bridge, it wants the existing structure — built by the Northern Pacific, with piers dating to 1882 and a superstructure from 1905 — preserved as a pedestrian and bike path.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

9/7/23

 

 

Summer '23 Update

 

 

It’s been a busy summer for the Bismarck Bridge project! Construction crews continue working toward major project milestones to meet the estimated 2026 completion timeline. Here is a summary of project work to date. 

 

Construction Progress

• Cleared trees to make room for the embankment of the new bridge.
• Built a road on the Department of Transportation right of way for trucks hauling materials and equipment.
• Constructing embankment west of the river.
• Prepped for work in the Missouri river, which will take place next spring.
• Installed sheet piling along the west bank of the Missouri river for construction of a dock wall that will facilitate the construction of river piers. 

           The dock wall is 50 percent complete.

 

BNSF received all the necessary permits and approvals for construction of the project. Two state permits issued by the North Dakota Department of Water Resources are being challenged.

• One challenge was dismissed by the North Dakota District Court on procedural grounds. That decision has been appealed to the North Dakota Supreme Court.
• In a separate action, the state Supreme Court is considering a request that the Court order BNSF to stop work below the ordinary high water mark based, in part, on the challenge to the Department of Water Resources permits.
• The Court’s decisions in both matters are pending.

For more information about how the bridge project is moving along, visit our website. 

 

Learn more

 

 

Have a Question for Us?

 

Do you have a question about BNSF or the Bismarck Bridge Project? Send them to amy.mcbeth@bnsf.com.