A damaged rail doubtless brought on a practice hauling 124 vehicles of coal to derail Sunday afternoon, killing a semitruck driver who was caught under the bridge that subsequently collapsed north of Pueblo, federal investigators with the Nationwide Transportation Security Board mentioned Tuesday.
The board’s preliminary evaluation decided that the bridge collapsed after the practice derailed, sending coal and mangled practice vehicles throughout Interstate 25 and shutting the busy route between Pueblo and Colorado Springs. Thirty vehicles have been derailed.
Investigators remained on scene Tuesday to attempt to determine what brought on the damaged rail and why warning programs didn’t alert crews concerning the damaged rail, NTSB mentioned in an replace Tuesday.
They may even have a look at the adequacy of prior observe inspections and the situation and upkeep historical past of the bridge. The federal company will launch its preliminary report inside 30 days. A closing report may take as much as two years.
The damaged rail was east of the bridge over I-25, the NTSB mentioned.
Each northbound and southbound lanes of I-25 remained closed as crews continued to clear particles from the highway. BNSF expects cleanup to be accomplished by Wednesday, when CDOT engineers and upkeep crews will assess the harm and decide what repairs are wanted to reopen the freeway.
Drivers headed south are suggested to make use of Colorado 115 till they attain Penrose, earlier than heading east on U.S. 50 towards Pueblo. Northbound drivers can exit the interstate at U.S. 50 and go west, towards Pueblo West, then north on Purcell till they attain I-25, CDOT mentioned.
There nonetheless stays confusion over who owns the bridge that collapsed and who was chargeable for sustaining it. A spokesperson for BNSF, which operated the practice that derailed and owns the road it runs on, informed The Colorado Solar the state owns the bridge.
However CDOT’s communication director mentioned state officers are nonetheless combing by paperwork, going again to the bridge’s building within the late 50s, to find out who owns it.
“Now we have been working by some conflicting info to date,” Matt Inzeo mentioned in an e-mail. “We do not need entry to the upkeep and inspection exercise carried out by BNSF for this bridge.”
Typically, CDOT’s inspection and upkeep focuses on bridges carrying vehicles and vans “and solely offers with railroad and utility bridges as wanted,” Inzeo mentioned.
It’s additionally unclear the place the practice was headed. However an Xcel Power spokesperson mentioned the coal was not en path to the Comanche energy plant in Pueblo and won’t have an effect on the plant’s operations.
The Pueblo County Coroner’s Workplace recognized the truck driver as Lafollette Henderson, 60, of Compton, Calif. Not one of the practice’s crew have been reported injured.
