A bridge on Highway 450 that was hit by a Black Thunder mine haul truck traveling underneath it Tuesday morning is likely beyond repair and will have to be replaced, state transportation officials said Wednesday.

The accident left local drivers, including many contractors and neighboring Jacobs Ranch mine employees, with a circuitous route on Hilight, Reno and School Creek roads that will take another 30 to 45 minutes.

Department of Transportation officials were meeting with mine personnel this morning to determine the future of the bridge, which is about one mile east of Black Thunder’s main entrance.

The agency’s director, John Cox, said no matter how it is repaired, “the coal company will be paying for it because they hit it and wrecked it.”

Repair costs were not immediately available and even with an emergency bidding process likely to soon be under way, it will be months before the bridge is open again.

According to a Greg Schaefer, a spokesman at the Arch Coal-owned mine, the accident occurred when the coal-filled bed of a haul truck passing under the bridge began to rise. The bed completely destroyed one girder and severely bent another, according to Schaefer.

State officials said other parts of the 140-foot-long bridge were damaged. Pictures showed the roadway sagging.

The driver of the truck, who was not identified by the mine, was sent to Campbell County Memorial Hospital as a precautionary measure, but was released without injuries, Schaefer said.

“Looking at the damage right now, it’s probably not feasible to salvage the structure,” said Del McOmie, the transportation department’s chief engineer.

Possible detour options being discussed now included the possibility of routing traffic down a bank and across the haul road, McOmie said. Another option being considered is a temporary bridge, he added.

In the meantime, it’s not just civilian traffic that’s being impacted. Schaefer said the mine has been forced to shift its operations to the south pit since there is no load-out on the north side of the highway.

“We don’t see any impact on operations,” Schaefer said, adding that an adjacent rail spur was not affected.

McOmie said while such situations are not unprecedented, they are not everyday occurrences, either.

“Across the state, we have bridges hit by oversized loads half-a-dozen, a dozen times a year. It’s not routine but it does happen,” he said. “This is the first time that I’m aware of that we’ve had a piece of equipment from one of the mines hit a bridge.”


http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2008/05/14/news/


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