BNSF Railway Bridge

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Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations: Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service Description: The applicant, BNSF Railway Company, owns and operates the existing BNSF Railway Bridge that crosses the Missouri River between the cities of Mandan and Bismarck, North Dakota.  The bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.  With components over 130 years old, the in-place structure is approaching the end of its useful service life.  The structure has a history of exposure to ice jams and its substructure configuration renders it potentially susceptible to scour events.  Although currently stable, the structure has experienced structural issues at both approaches in the past, resulting in unanticipated substructure movements.  The applicant proposes to construct a new, independent bridge across the Missouri River upstream of the in-place structure. Operationally, the new structure will carry the mainline track.  The applicant proposes to remove the existing structure.  The new structure will provide a significant improvement in operational reliability and safety, and will provide enhanced structural redundancy thereby making it less susceptible to damage.  The new structure will be a single-track bridge but have the capability to carry a second track in the future when and if volumes necessitate that addition.  The U.S. Coast Guard is analyzing alternatives, through the NEPA process, to construct the new bridge while retaining the existing bridge.

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