BUCYRUS — A crumbling railway overpass has resulted in a main thoroughfare being closed indefinitely.
East Mansfield Street will remain closed near East Mary Street at the series of three Great Depression-era railway bridges, until deemed safe to reopen to traffic.
The Bucyrus Police Department received a call at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday, from a motorist that was almost hit by a section of falling concrete from the easternmost bridge.
Officer John Seif said the concrete would have been enough to take out a windshield and cause serious injury.
The railway bridges are owned and maintained by Norfolk Southern Railway, which was notified by BPD of the incident. They did not give an estimate as to when repairs or a safety inspection would be completed.
Chief Dave Koepke said that the city would like to improve the bridges’ appearance, but Norfolk-Southern will not allow the city to do so.
“The bridges are a gateway to Bucyrus. It would look beautiful with ‘Welcome to Bucyrus’ and fresh colors, but we’re not allowed to maintain them. The railroad has to maintain them. And falling concrete is a concern,” Koepke said.