PUEBLO — Work to replace a bridge damaged in a deadly train derailment near Pueblo in October forced the closure of I-25 for planned repairs on the night of December 18.
As of 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, all of the north and southbound lanes of I-25 just north of Pueblo have reopened.
The Colorado Department of Transportation closed both directions of I-25 north of Pueblo starting at 7 p.m. Monday.
CDOT said the closure at Mile Point 107.38 would allow crews to reinstall guardrails and work to replace the bridge that collapsed on October 15.
DETOURS
- Northbound detour: Exit I-25 in Pueblo to Highway 50 westbound, link up with Highway 115 northbound towards Colorado Springs.
- Southbound detour: Exit I-25 to Highway 115 southbound, link up with Highway 50 eastbound towards Pueblo.
#CDOT #News: Nighttime closure set for #I25 in both directions north of @CityofPueblo. Extended 11-hour closure will begin Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. to Dec. 19 at 6 a.m. for BNSF Railway bridge replacement.
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) December 13, 2023
📰https://t.co/C1fC6b1Mlb#KnowBeforeYouGo #SlowfortheConeZone pic.twitter.com/NElaISfstW
Motorists on Highway 115 will navigate a 12-mile-long construction zone, CDOT said with speeds reduced to 45 mph and lane width reduced to 11 feet.
Because of the lane width restrictions on Highway 115, wide-load vehicles should seek alternative routes such as US 50 to CO 71 if traveling eastbound or US 50 to US 285 if headed westbound.
BACKGROUND
At around 4:45 p.m. on October 15, around 30 cars from a BNSF train derailed while crossing I-25 scattering coal and damaged railroad cars across the interstate killing a semi-truck driver, identified by the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office as 60-year-old Lafollette Henderson of Compton, California.
Henderson was killed when his semi-truck was passing underneath the 1958-built steel bridge during the collapse. The National Transportation Safety Board in its preliminary findings indicated a broken rail caused the collapse, the AP reported.
The crash and partial bridge collapse forced the closure of I-25 for several days as crews worked to begin the investigation and removed tons of coal from the roadway, along with the 30
damaged rail cars.
In October, CDOT Communications Director Matt Inzeo, spoke about which organization was responsible for the bridge and its maintenance. Inzeo said, "CDOT continues to look through documentation dating back to the late 50’s regarding roles, responsibility and ownership with this bridge structure.”
“The last CDOT inspection was in 2022; however, we don’t have information regarding the regular inspections and maintenance that BNSF would have performed as they would normally do by running trains over the structure...BNSF would have primary responsibilities regarding inspection and maintenance because of the fact that they are the ones operating rail service over that line.”
