Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is calling for the release of full inspection reports completed this month, following the collapse of an elevated railroad sidewall in the city two weeks ago. This comes after a report from last year determined that section of the railroad to be in fair to good condition.
The 2017 report by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad, which owns the bridge, said concrete supports showed breaking, cracking and exposed rebar, but it was still safe to carry rail traffic. Walsh said that summary report is woefully inadequate in assessing safety concerns.
“We are very concerned," Walsh said. "We need to have more information in order to make sure we can ensure public safety. Until we have the full reports on each one of those structures, we’re not going to feel confident that public safety can be assured.”
Walsh is requesting for the recent, full reports conducted by consulting engineers of the railroad. They determined the collapse was caused by thermal expansion of the concrete and steel due to extreme high temperatures.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said it is unacceptable that the city still cannot obtain complete safety information on the bridge.
Read Schumer's full statement below.
“It is unacceptable that after two weeks, city residents and officials cannot obtain complete safety information about this bridge. I am calling the Federal Railroad Agency to immediately release full annual bridge inspection reports, as well as any audits, verification, or other review they have conducted on those reports. They should also be working side-by-side with city officials to ensure that service does not resume until complete safety is ensured. Syracuse residents have a right to know if the bridges they walk and drive their cars under are safe, and it’s only through increased transparency that we can find out what went wrong in this situation so that we can work together to prevent future accidents.”
Schumer and central New York Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) are putting pressure on the Federal Railroad Administration to do more.
Read Katko's full statement below.
“Like Mayor Walsh, I have called on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to answer several questions relating to its inspection and maintenance procedures and have yet to receive a response. It is incumbent upon the FRA to provide the City of Syracuse with the necessary inspection and auditing information so that the current safety of the railroad bridge can be appropriately assessed. I join Mayor Walsh in expressing my deep concern regarding the reporting procedures used by FRA and urge this agency to exercise greater transparency. To this end, I am exploring legislative action to review the FRA’s inspection processes of structurally deficient bridges across the country. We must give proper attention to our aging infrastructure to avoid these types of disasters.”
Walsh said it is critical the FRA holds the railroad accountable and the city gets more information on 22 structures along the rail line that could pose safety hazards, before rail service resumes.
"The FRA does have the ability and the authority to do more," Walsh said. "They have the ability to do a full inspection, an independent inspection on their own on the tracks. We're asking them to do that. They have the ability to audit previous reports. We want them to do that."
Watch police footage of the collapse below.
