DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER Star-Tribune energy reporter | Posted: Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:00 am
The Wyoming Highway 450 bridge that was struck underneath by a coal haul truck on Tuesday is beyond repair and will remain closed, the Wyoming Department of Transportation said Wednesday.
WYDOT indicated it doesn't have bridge-building materials on hand, and it will likely be months before there's a permanent replacement.
WYDOT and engineers at Arch Coal Inc.'s Black Thunder mine are considering two options: Build a temporary bridge, or create a four-way intersection at the site with 24-hour traffic control.
"We're looking for the best and safest option to get the road reopened as soon as possible," said WYDOT assistant state bridge engineer Keith Fulton.
The bridge, which spans 140 feet, is located about 10 miles east of Wright. Highway 450 is a main connection between Wright and Newcastle, and it is a critical piece of infrastructure. About 1,830 vehicles cross the bridge each day, most of which are coal mine commuters and truck traffic for the coal, oil and gas industries.
About 1,720 coal miners work at the Black Thunder and Jacobs Ranch mines in the area. About 500 employees are working at the mines at any one time throughout the year.
Drivers face an extra 40 minutes to take a 25-mile detour on several gravel county roads.
"That's quite a bit when you've already got an hour commute back to Gillette," said Arch Coal Inc. spokesman Greg Schaefer.
The bridge was also a major crossing for coal haul trucks at the Black Thunder mine. Haul trucks made hundreds of trips under the bridge each day to transport coal from the north side of the highway to coal load-out facilities on the south side.
Schaefer said the mine has shifted its coal production focus to pits on the south side of the highway. He said the bridge outage has not slowed coal production or coal shipping at the mine. The mine shipped 86.2 million tons of coal last year.
Schaefer said he knew of no definitive plans for resuming coal traffic from the north side of the highway.
"Everything is kind of fluid right now," Schaefer said.
The accident happened late Tuesday morning when the bed on a loaded coal haul truck began to rise while the vehicle went underneath, striking several girders. The road surface sank 2 to 3 feet.
The truck driver was not hurt, according to Schaefer. The truck passed under and did not strike a railroad bridge next to the highway bridge.
BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said the highway bridge outage does not impose a significant impact to rail service in the area.
WYDOT indicated that Black Thunder will have to shoulder the cost of replacing the bridge.
Energy reporter Dustin Bleizeffer can be reached at (307) 577-6069 or dustin.bleizeffer@trib.com.