Preservation group working to save historic railroad bridge over Missouri River

BISMARCK — A gaggle trying to save a historic railroad bridge over the Missouri River is mulling its authorized choices in an ongoing quest to maintain the span from being torn down.

The Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge, inbuilt 1883, is focused for demolition as BNSF Railway seeks allowing from the U.S. Coast Guard to assemble a brand new bridge.

The nonprofit Buddies of the Rail Bridge group is asking for an administrative listening to on a sovereign lands allow from the North Dakota Division of Water Assets, which it says would supply alternative for public touch upon quite a few vital points.

Legal professional Lyle Witham mentioned points that want addressing embody possession of the riverbed beneath the historic bridge and the bridge itself, and whether or not a sovereign lands allow ought to be issued to tear down the bridge and construct a brand new one.

The group maintains it’s not essential to tear down the historic bridge to ensure that BNSF to construct a brand new one. They are saying the historic bridge ought to be repurposed right into a biking and strolling path.

Bismarck and Mandan have quite a few trails adjoining to the Missouri River, which might hook up with a pedestrian pathway on the repurposed bridge, making it a leisure staple for the communities for generations to return, the group mentioned.

Mark Zimmerman, Buddies of the Rail Bridge president, mentioned preserving and repurposing the bridge would elevate current property in the neighborhood.

“This transformation will transcend recreation and tourism, together with fostering civic pleasure, rising historic consciousness, and stimulating financial improvement alongside the river. A few of our best sights within the space are the historic websites throughout the view of this nice bridge,” Zimmerman mentioned, in a information launch.

The Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation lists the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge as one in every of America’s Most Endangered Historic Locations.

It was crossed within the early years by notables together with former presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, in addition to Sitting Bull.

Margie Zalk Enerson, a Buddies of the Rail Bridge board member, mentioned if the bridge hadn’t been constructed, Roosevelt would possibly by no means have set foot in North Dakota.

“We would like all these thousands and thousands of tourists to return, however the historic bridge that introduced him throughout, this identical bridge, goes to be torn down until we cease it,” she mentioned.

Extra details about efforts to protect and repurpose the historic Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge

is on the market at www.friendsoftherailbridge.org.