NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — BNSF Railway is planning to use controlled blasting for the demolition of the bridge over the Big Sioux River that collapsed in flooding in June, KTLV-TV reports.
The railroad has obtained the necessary local permits to conduct the blasting, but still needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will allow changes to the river levee before it can proceed with the demolition process. The railroad’s demolition plan calls for construction of a temporary levee known as a ring levee; this will allow removal of a small portion of the existing level to allow equipment access to remove the bridge spans.
Current plans call for a controlled blast on the South Dakota side of the river on Aug. 16 and another on the Iowa side on Sept. 6. The railroad is beginning door-to-door notification of all residences and business within a 1,000-foot radius of the project, and will also involve local law enforcement and first responders in the process. More specific information on the timing of the explosives use will be released later.
BNSF’s permit request with the Corps of Engineers estimates the entire bridge-removal process will take five to six weeks, with the temporary levees and access roads in place for two to three weeks on each side of the river. Plans for a replacement bridge and its construction will be submitted separately.
The bridge, also used by the D&I Railroad through trackage rights, collapsed the night of June 23 when the Big Sioux River crested more than 6 feet above its previous flood-stage record [see “BNSF bridge on South Dakota-Iowa state line collapses,” Trains News Wire, June 2024, 2024].
