US-85 Overpass Collapse in Lusk

[halork]

Saw this online: http://tinyurl.com/phla2or

I'm no expert, but it seems like that shouldn't happen.

[Zmapper]

That overpass appears to be relatively new.

[sipes23]

http://www.kgwn.tv/home/headlines/Flooding-Causs-Highway-Closings-and-Flooding-306139611.html

Apparently a lot of the local roads have been closed there too.

[Brian556]

This is an interesting collapse from an engineering perspective.
It looks like this bridge was built to span RR tracks, not water, and they only expected a very low volume to flow under it along the tracks, and therefore didn't take into account the forces of a larger volume of water when designing it.

The unusual thing about this bridge, and what probably made it weak, is that is sits on concrete abutments that just sit directly on the dirt with no columns underneath. Typical bridges that have slopes under them rather than vertical walls have hidden columns under the end abutment part that will support the bridge even if all dirt is washed out from around the end of the bridge. I have come upon a situation where this had happened, and thanks to the hidden pillars, the bridge was still standing.

[Milepost61]

Yes, we were talking about this at work and it looks like they used the MSE wall (mechanically stabilized earth) fill as the abutment rather than piles. Not necessarily a bad decision when they built it since it wasn't a waterway, but did become a bad decision when the Niobrara River went wildly out of control.

[Milepost61]

Here's a couple more pictures:
http://www.wyoroad.info/highway/webcameras/US85LuskOverpass/US85LuskOverpass.html

[andy3175]

This was a fairly significant rain storm, dropping 6 inches of rain in three hours of one evening (Wednesday June 3) in a place that gets about 15 inches annually. That looked like a fairly new bridge when I drove over it in 2012, and I am surprised it collapsed ... although the pictures Milepost61 posted tells the tale of what copious water rolling through a town can do.

Wyoming SR 270 was also closed due to a collapsed culvert; it is the most obvious alternate through for through traffic to avoid Lusk. It's unclear if that has reopened or not. The Union Pacific Railroad is also closed for the time being due to the viaduct and other damage along the route. I-90 between Gillette and Buffalo was also closed as a result of this storm, but it appears that it has since reopened. Not so for US 18-85, which will take some time to rebuild. I'm not sure what the detour will be, but it will be lengthy and add many miles for travelers headed to/from/through Lusk. Portions of the city itself lost potable water service due to this storm.

The following links tell the story thus far ... there are some very sad tales of destruction in downtown Lusk from this storm in the last link, where contents of stores and residences flowed down the middle of US 18-20-85 Main Street in Lusk.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flash-flooding-damages-homes-cuts-off-small-wyoming-31534002

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/updated-homes-and-businesses-damaged-by-flash-flood-in-lusk/article_27b78c0f-2eb4-5ca0-ad08-97d389de52f6.html

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/lusk-dries-off-from-flood-plans-quick-rebuild-and-rebound/article_ba55a4e5-1f9f-58b8-a725-e376e0cddaeb.html

[andy3175]

As of this morning ...

http://county10.com/2015/06/07/wyo-270-north-of-manville-us-20-east-of-lusk-us-85-south-of-lusk-reopened/

WYO 270 north of Manville to US 85, US 20 east of Lusk to the Nebraska border, and US 85 south of Lusk to Lingle were reopened early Sunday.

The highways had been closed since Thursday, when floodwaters washed out a culvert on US 18-20 west of Manville and the US 85 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad yard in Lusk, and caused other damage to highways in Niobrara County.

US 18-20 from I-25 to Lusk and US 85 from Lusk north to Mule Creek Junction remained closed Sunday.

Travelers should go to www.wyoroad.info to check the current status of area highways.

WYDOT engineers continue to work with Lusk officials to develop a detour around the collapsed US 85 bridge. The detour would be for passenger vehicles and light duty trucks only.

Before opening any detour, repairs to local roads will be required and WYDOT will have to complete a traffic control plan.

The department also continues to evaluate the feasibility of building a temporary modular steel bridge spanning the railroad.

[brad2971]

This will make things rather interesting for bikers travelling to this year's 75th anniversary Sturgis rally. US18-85 through Lusk is the shortest, most uncluttered route to the Black Hills from the Front Range. Those bikers (and other Black Hills tourists) will have to get a little more acquainted with Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Chadron (via Heartland Expressway) than they have in the past.

[Sykotyk]

I've been through Lusk in all directions on US85 and US20. Nice small town. I've stopped a twice, as well. US85 is a great road north of town. I've driven it the entire length from Colorado north. I can understand why those going to Sturgis would take it, great wide-open two-lane road.

Hopefully this gets taken care of properly and somebody can learn something from this bridge collapse.

[rte66man]

https://goo.gl/maps/R14HJ

That was VERY poor planning on someone's part. They cheaped out by not making the whole thing a bridge, so when the Niobrara backed up, it had nowhere to go but through the RR overpass.

[andy3175]

Drove through Lusk on Saturday. The bridge is still out but is already under construction. I saw several construction vehicles on the south side of the bridge, so WyoDOT is moving forward with getting it replaced. I've not seen an official reopening date, however. I'm sure this effort will take some time to complete. Changeable message signs advise through traffic to use Wyo 270 as the alternate route while US 18-85 is closed over the Niobrara River/Union Pacific Railroad. As I drove into Lusk from Nebraska, I can tell you that the UPRR mainline is back in business with plenty of trains in both directions.

[andy3175]

http://www.kotatv.com/news/wyoming-news/All-roads-leading-to-Lusk-are-now-open-for-cars/33660114

All highways in the Lusk area are open after flooding two weeks ago closed routes and knocked out the local rail bridge. Passenger car drivers can scoot around the damaged Highway 85 crossing. However, the detour involves driving over Union Pacific Railroad tracks so drivers must use caution and anticipate delays from frequent passing trains. Commercial trucks must continue to use state Highway 270 at Manville and Lance Creek.

[andy3175]

According to WyoDOT, a new temporary bridge is going up. The press release was as of 7/17, and it suggested a two week construction timeframe, which implies it may be nearing completion now:

http://www.dot.state.wy.us/news/progress-continues-on-temporary-bridge-in-lusk

Progress is continuing on construction of the modular steel temporary bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Lusk.

WYDOT crews from around the state are working to assemble the 200-foot span needed to replace the highway bridge that collapsed due to flooding on June 4.

The structure is expected to take about two weeks to complete.

Once the bridge is erected, it will allow two lanes of legal load traffic to cross. There will be no pedestrian access across the bridge.

[andy3175]

Permanent bridge to replace washed out bridge on US 85 in Lusk is in the works...

http://www.wyomingnews.com/news/highway-of-death-getting-m-makeover/article_0ecb8e48-c8b3-11e5-b367-cbd94943a7de.html

Cheyenne's Reiman Corp. and Subsidiary was the low bidder at $2.3 million to replace the U.S. Highway 85 railroad overpass bridge that collapsed due to flooding in June 2015 in Lusk.

The new bridge will be built on the same alignment as the damaged bridge, so the temporary bridge currently carrying traffic there will have to be removed and traffic routed on a detour around the site using the same Lusk streets used before the temporary bridge was completed. The project is scheduled to be done by Sept. 30, 2016.

[Max Rockatansky]

Permanent bridge to replace washed out bridge on US 85 in Lusk is in the works...

http://www.wyomingnews.com/news/highway-of-death-getting-m-makeover/article_0ecb8e48-c8b3-11e5-b367-cbd94943a7de.html

Cheyenne's Reiman Corp. and Subsidiary was the low bidder at $2.3 million to replace the U.S. Highway 85 railroad overpass bridge that collapsed due to flooding in June 2015 in Lusk.

The new bridge will be built on the same alignment as the damaged bridge, so the temporary bridge currently carrying traffic there will have to be removed and traffic routed on a detour around the site using the same Lusk streets used before the temporary bridge was completed. The project is scheduled to be done by Sept. 30, 2016.

So that's what was going on when I drove through.  They had a huge detour that ran over the railroad tracks due west and tracked back heading northbound. 

[sipes23]

The permanent fix is going to open very soon. Much governor. Very wow.

http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3686&page=72

[Max Rockatansky]

The permanent fix is going to open very soon. Much governor. Very wow.

http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3686&page=72

Really the governor needs to attend a bridge overpass opening ceremony? lol

[andy3175]

The permanent fix is going to open very soon. Much governor. Very wow.

http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3686&page=72

Wow, a little more than a year from destruction (June 4, 2015) to full replacement (July 15, 2016)? Not too bad!

[SD Mapman]

The permanent fix is going to open very soon. Much governor. Very wow.

http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3686&page=72

Really the governor needs to attend a bridge overpass opening ceremony? lol

What else is there to do out here?

[Max Rockatansky]

The permanent fix is going to open very soon. Much governor. Very wow.

http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3686&page=72

Really the governor needs to attend a bridge overpass opening ceremony? lol

What else is there to do out here?

This may be that I'm looking at this from the perspective of someone who doesn't live in a state like Wyoming with a small population.  But we're talking about an over pass of a railroad...not a bridge...not some major engineering feat...an overpass.  Granted I know Cheyanne isn't far away and there probably isn't much else going on in the state at the moment.  Just struck me, having seen said overpass with my own eyes like a town major type of ribbon cutting.