Trains were delayed a short time this morning after a barge hit structures protecting a railroad bridge on the Mississippi River at Burlington. Burlington-Northern-Sante Fe Railraod spokesman, Steve Forsberg, says the barge hit what’s called a "shear fence."
He says the barge first hit the shear fence protecting the bridge on the Illinois side, and then as the barge tried to maneuver out of the way, it hit the shear fence on the Iowa side and pulled it away. Forsberg says they were able to get the trains moving without much delay.
Forsberg says the accident happened around 3:30 this morning and they had trains running again around 5:30. Forsberg says the barge is owned by Ingram Barge Company of Nashville, Tennessee. He says they expect the company to pay for the damage, but does not know how much that will cost.