On April 24th 2023, the Burlington Northern And Santa Fe (BNSF) railway announced the destruction and replacement of the steel truss bridge that crosses the Missouri river. The project has been in the revision process for over 10 years.
The bridge was built in 1882 by the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works in Detroit, Michigan for the Northern Pacific railway. The designer, George Morrison, has designed several bridges that cross the Missouri and the Mississippi River. The Bismarck-Mandan train bridge consists of three, 400 ft long whipple through truss spans. The bridge is 108 ft off the water, and is 1525 ft tall.
“The bridge represents a Masterwork of American Engineering.” Bradbury said.
When the decision was made to replace the bridge, a group of BisMan residents got together and formed the Friends of the Rail Bridge (FORB). Nick Bradbury, a founder of FORB, helped found the group in early 2018 because he saw how important it was to the history of the northern plains. Their goal was to raise enough money to repurpose the bridge instead of destroying it.
“BNSF definitely wants to tear the bridge down,” Bradbury said.
The plan was to turn the bridge into a scenic bike trail across the river, connecting 2 pre-existing bike paths. FORB believes that it is important to preserve relics of Bismarck history. They see the bridge as a symbol of historical awareness.
“It can be enjoyed by all for recreation and education.” Bradbury said.
FORB is a non-profit organization powered by volunteers. Their mission statement means “To bridge communities through history, education, and recreation.” Bradbury describes the amount of public support as overwhelming.
“FORB’s efforts have not been focused as much on raising money as we have been advocating for the bridge through the public process,” Bradbury said. “it takes a lot of time but surprisingly not very much money.”
The bridge has had its own issues in the past however. In 1918, the Bridge was rebuilt to withstand heavier loads, this is how the bridge got its appearance today. Within the next 50 years, the bridge was added on too, repaired and moved. The bridge was built on wet, loose mud, that slid the outer bridge supports towards the river.
“The fact that it is still standing and fit for heavy rail service is astonishing!” Bradbury said.
Bradbury believes BNSF has 3 main reasons for taking the bridge down, to be able to run two main lines instead of one, avoid public conflict, and to maximize profit for Berkshire-Hathaway, the most powerful company on earth.
“It sounds like BNSF thinks that it is a waste of money to preserve the bridge,” Bradbury said. “BNSF has earned about $40 billion in profit since this process began. The estimated cost of preserving the historic bridge is less than 0.25% of that amount.”
Bradbury, along with the over 5,000 other supporters, have held several public hearings with BNSF, ND legislators, and other government officials. FORB has attended dozens of meetings with BNSF representatives within the last 7 years.
“We can recognize each other by name, and a few by face,” Bradbury said.
The battle has been tough, and currently, FORB are in a break period, they are waiting for the supreme court to take action. FORB are facing severe headwinds, but have been able to push through and still make an impression on ND leaders. North Dakota’s Governor, Doug Burgum believes that it is important to keep our bridge as a symbol of NDs history.
“The bridge tells the story of North Dakota’s history” Bradbury said.
