Southbound I-25 open after train derailment north of Pueblo, Northbound to open Thursday
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- While on the site of the deadly train derailment on I-25, just north of Pueblo, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced Interstate 25 would be fully opened by Thursday evening. Southbound lanes opened just after 2 p.m. this afternoon.
“We're focused here today on the process for repairs to get I-25 fully open,” Polis said. “This is one of the most important arteries, not only for commuter traffic between Pueblo and Colorado Springs but also for interstate commerce, for trucking. This is a very important route.”
Polis said southbound I-25 would be open Wednesday afternoon, but northbound I-25 lanes need more repair before it is expected to open Thursday evening. Polis said motorists should expect slower speeds of around 50 m.p.h.
For nearly three days, the most heavily trafficked north-south corridor in Colorado was closed after a coal train derailed. The National Transportation Safety Board said its initial findings determined a broken rail caused the derailment.
“The broken rail preceded the derailment and the bridge collapse occurred after the derailment,” NTSB said Wednesday in a statement. “Investigators will continue to determine the cause of the broken rail and why warnings systems did not alert the crews to the condition of the track as part of the ongoing investigation.”
While the railroad track, owned by Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF), was down, Polis said there were no interruptions to the power supply, as coal trains were able to use other routes. However, he said there was still an economic impact, as commercial trucking was delayed.
"Mayor Gradisar and Mayor Yemi can really testify to the importance of this corridor, first and foremost support for commuters and travelers between Pueblo and Colorado Springs,” Polis said. “But this is also a critical freight corridor for the entire country. This is the main north-west route in the middle of the country, so working to minimize the disruptions is absolutely critical."
Polis said within the next month, I-25 will have to close again for BNSF to restore the downed railroad track.
“BNSF is stepping up to replace the bridge. They will be moving one segment of bridge from another state to complete the connection,” Polis said. “That will require additional highway closures of up to 24 hours in a few weeks.”
In the meantime, Polis said the state is taking advantage of federal funds to improve transportation infrastructure and rail safety throughout the state.
“We're always interested in leveraging our state funds to pull down the maximum amount of federal funds around rail safety when we're talking about improvements that are necessary,” Polis said. “For example, to move to passenger rail, you need Positive Train Control, you need additional inspections, there's a lot more safety improvements to go, and those cost money.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation still doesn’t know who is responsible for the bridge that collapsed after the train derailed.
“CDOT continues to look for documentation dating back to the late fifties regarding those responsibilities with this bridge structure,” said Matt Inzeo, a spokesperson for CDOT. “I want to be careful not to speak on behalf of BNSF, but I believe that BNSF will have updated comments for people as we both continue to dig through our respective records.”
CDOT said it last inspected the bridge in 2022 but claims BNSF would have “primary responsibilities regarding inspection and maintenance because of the fact that they are the ones operating rail service over our corridor,” Inzeo said.
13 Investigates asked CDOT if there is any concern the department isn’t aware of other infrastructure in the state it may be responsible for. Inzeo said CDOT has a “full catalog of bridges of which they are responsible for.”
Multiple questions during the Governor’s press conference were referred to BNSF, including when the section of the railroad track was last inspected. However, BNSF declined to comment during the press conference. Instead, the private company is expected to send out a press release with more information.
“I would just say BNSF has been a very good partner in this,” Polis said. “They've taken responsibility. They're going to be repairing the rail line. We have not had any issues with BNSF.”
Gov. Polis' remarks can be watched above.
A statement from BNSF is below.
We would like to thank Governor Jared Polis, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Sherriff’s office, the City of Pueblo and its first responders, the Federal Railroad Administration, NTSB and the many volunteer first responders from across the region. We appreciate their partnership and support.
Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank the community for their patience. We understand that the closure of I-25 has been a major inconvenience to the traveling public and we’re working with state and local officials to re-open the highway as quickly and safely as possible.
We understand that there are still questions related to the ownership of the bridge. We along with CODOT continue to review documentation that dates back to the 1950s. I can confirm that BNSF does have responsibility for inspections and maintenance of the structure and will be replacing the bridge.
Our teams regularly conduct extensive track, bridge, rail and weather event inspections across our network. BNSF routinely conducts a number of inspections to the track using a combination of rail detection testing, advanced track infrastructure testing and visual inspections, including the most recent inspection that occurred on Sunday, October 15 prior to the derailment.
All that being said, we are committed to continuous improvement and will carefully consider the NTSB’s final report and recommendations when they come out to more fully understand what lessons can be learned from this incident. Any additional questions regarding this accident investigation will be deferred to the NTSB.
Lena Kent, General Director Public Affairs, BNSF Railway
