Maumee river rr_lift_bridge_train_day2015

Strengthening an Essential Link:
Toledo, Ohio’s Middlegrounds Bridge
Protecting National Security and Correcting a Single Point of Failure at One of America’s Key River Crossings
Jerry W. Wicks, Ph.D., Director, OHERN Institute
www.ohern.org
Update: April, 2015
Ohio Higher Education Rail Network Institute

Overview
The following presentation makes the case for a second, multi-track railroad bridge to be built across the
Maumee River near the Toledo Union Amtrak Station.
The current bridge, which is owned by Norfolk Southern, is over a century old and handles well over 100
freight and passenger trains a day. Freight rail traffic on the bridge is forecast to steadily increase in the
coming decades and the demand for additional use by passenger trains - both long-haul and intercity
commuter rail - is likely to grow in the next few years.
In addition to a potential structural failure, there exists several external risks that could result in a
catastrophic failure of the current bridge. These risks include ship collision, bridge-operator error, train
derailment and sabotage or international terrorism.
Since there are no practical alternate routes for freight or for the majority of passenger trains traveling east
and west between Chicago and the east coast, the bridge is a “single point of failure” for both the freight
and passenger rail systems.
The loss of the bridge would pose a logistical nightmare for the rail distribution systems, and if that loss
were protracted could lead to a substantial contraction in the economies of the region and nation.
There is a solution. It may be possible to construct a second bridge near the present crossing and do so
without disrupting current rail or shipping service. A second bridge would supply additional tracks for freight
and passenger rail, plus, it would serve national security needs by providing a strategic redundancy at one
of America’s key rail crossings.

Norfolk Southern (NS) Swing Bridge, Toledo, Ohio
• A century old*, two-track, swing bridge crossing the Maumee River.
* Previously owned by New York Central, neither the exact date of construction nor builder can be determined at this time and is categorized as
“unknown” by HistoricalBridges.org. However, an architecturally similar bridge, the Livingston Avenue Swing Bridge outside Albany, NY, was built in
1901/02 suggesting the Maumee River swing bridge is of a similar vintage.

Norfolk Southern (NS) Swing Bridge, Toledo, Ohio
• Handles 100+ freight and four Amtrak trains daily.
• Amtrak traffic is forecast to grow by as many as 8-12 trains a day.
• The bridge provides the only practical east-west rail crossing in the northern U.S.
Toledo Metropolitan Council of Governments: Map section from TMACOG Area
Railroads

Freight Rail: An Essential Component of the Nation’s
Economic Infrastructure
• The daily volume of freight crossing the NS Swing Bridge is equivalent to the
freight transported each day over the Ohio Turnpike.
• Rail tonnage in the United States is expected to increase 22 percent between
2010 and 2035. (https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0528)
=

Passenger Rail: An Essential Component of the Nation’s
Economic Infrastructure
• The largest portion of Amtrak’s passengers traveling cross country pass through
Chicago.
• Of those traveling to or from Chicago and the east coast cities of Boston,
Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C. and points in between, nearly all travel
over the NS swing bridge in Toledo, Ohio.

Swing Bridge Location
• Centered in the image - the
NS Swing Bridge spans the
Maumee River.
• The “mighty” Maumee - the largest
river flowing into any of the Great
Lakes - can be seen emptying into
Lake Erie.
• More than 700 sea going and lake
freighters will visit the Port of Toledo
during the 2013 shipping season.
• In the foreground, the major grain
and commodities loading facilities
of the Toledo port are located
upriver of the swing bridge.
• The port, railroads and swing
bridge are significant economic
assets for Northwest Ohio and
Southeast Michigan.

Major Risks to the Structural Integrity of the Bridge
Apart from structural failure, there are three external risks that could lead to the loss of the
NS Swing Bridge:
• Collision by a sea going freighter
• An operational accident or train derailment
• Sabotage or an act of terrorism

First Risk: Freighter Collision
• When open, the swing bridge provides a narrow 109 ft passageway for lake freighters,
many of which are over 100 feet in width, leaving little room for navigational error.
• Loaded ships returning downstream have reported being caught by the river’s current
and pushed into the structure, damaging the bridge.
• The risk of major damage or loss of the bridge due to collision is ever present.

Second Risk: Operator Error or Train Derailment
• Damage resulting from operator error during the normal opening and closing of the
swing bridge.
• Train derailments.
May 13, 2013, Jefferson drawbridge
operator under investigation after
bridge collides with freighter
May 26, 2013, Bridge that collapsed in
Mo. train derailment had passed
inspections
May 29, 2013, Fire rages for
10 hours after Baltimore
chemical freight train crash

Third Risk: Sabotage and Terrorism
• Homegrown saboteurs
• International economic and environmental terrorism
April 22, 2013, Reports: Canadian terror
plot targeted Toronto-N.Y.C. train
service. Canadian police and
intelligence agencies said Monday that
they’ve thwarted an Al Qaeda-supported
plot.
April 23, 2013, Rush-hour, passenger
trains typical target for terrorists.
American broadcaster CNN added the
attack would have happened in Canada,
possibly on a trestle.
November 21, 1995, Sabotage
in desert that killed one, hurt
78. Right-wing manifesto
found at scene.

Economic Consequences of a Catastrophic Bridge Failure
• U.S. economy depends on a multi-modal transportation system linking businesses
with consumers, suppliers and markets.
• On average, each American requires the movement of 40 tons of freight per
year....” (https://www.fra.dot.gov) Of that tonnage, a significant portion travels through
Toledo over the NS Swing Bridge.
• In the event of a catastrophic accident to the bridge, there are no practical alternate
routes available for diverting east-west freight and passenger rail traffic traversing the
northern tier of the United States.
• Any disruption to the flow of freight or passengers over the bridge would quickly turn
into a logistical nightmare and, if prolonged, could impact the nation’s economy.
• In system terms, the bridge is a “single point of failure.” Its loss would bring major
portions of the nation’s freight and passenger rail systems to a halt.

Environmental Consequences of a Catastrophic Bridge Failure
• There is the potential of a major ecological disaster following a bridge failure.
• The NS Swing Bridge is situated five miles up river from the mouth of the western basin
of Lake Erie, the largest fishery of all the Great Lakes.
• The Google maps photo illustrates the potential danger. Shown is a freight train hauling
multiple chemical tanker cars stopped on the bridge during a routine crew change.

OVERVIEW OF STATION AND BRIDGE

One Possible Solution
• Space for a second bridge lies
to the north of the existing NS
Swing Bridge.
• The path of the second bridge
follows a more direct route to
Union Station.
• Open land is available on both
sides of the river providing easy
access and room for
construction.
• On the east side of the river,
the Miami Street overpass
needs excavating and a
replacement overpass
lengthened allowing for
additional tracks underneath the
roadway.

One Possible Solution
• A new bridge could be constructed
with little or no disruption to rail or
shipping traffic.
•The bridge would carry 2-4 tracks
servicing both freight and passenger
rail.
•Following an ‘alternatives analysis’
and engineering plans, construction
could be completed in two years at a
total cost of ~$250 million.

If a decision is made to build a second rail bridge across the
Maumee, what type of bridge is likely to be constructed?

Extreme grades eliminate both tunneling under the river and a
fixed, high-flyover bridge, leaving three options:

• Bascule lift bridge
• swing-span bridge
• vertical-lift bridge.

Of the three, a vertical lift bridge offers several significant benefits
compared to the bascule and swing-span bridge. (Leonardo
Fernyyndez Troyano, Bridge Engineering: A Global Perspective,
2003)
• In general, Vertical lift bridges cost less to build for longer
moveable spans. (The width of the opening will likely exceed that
of the Martin Luther King bascule bridge in order to create an
unobstructed channel opening of ~200’, providing ships with space
to better navigate through the narrow 109’ opening of the swing
bridge immediately to the south.)
• Similar to an elevator, counterweights in a vertical lift are only
required to be equal to the weight of the deck, whereas bascule
bridge counterweights must weigh several times as much as the
span being lifted, meaning, heavier materials can be used in the
deck of the vertical lift bridge, a requirement for heavy railroad
use.

Middlegrounds Rail Lift Bridge Solution
• Building on the success of the recently completed and widely popular Le Pont Chaban
Delmas Vertical Lift Bridge in Bordeaux, France, a vision is offered of what is possible
for the Middlegrounds Bridge.

Middlegrounds Lift Bridge Solution
• The new bridge would serve as an essential and integral part of Lucas County’s
planned Middlegrounds Metropark by incorporating a walking/biking path thereby
opening both sides of the river to pedestrian traffic.

Lift Bridge Construction
• Adopting techniques used in constructing the Le Pont Chaban Delmas lift bridge, the
Middlegrounds Bridge can be built without disruption to rail or shipping traffic.
(http://www.bridgeweb.com/Article/default.aspx?&id=2223&typeid=8)
• Shown below, a temporary roadway has been constructed allowing work to progress
in pouring the pilings and erecting the main lift towers.

• Major portions of the structure are put in place leaving open the center channel for
shipping.

• Bridge spans would be constructed in either Toledo or Cleveland, and loaded on a
barge for shipment to the work site.

• Once loaded, barges are floated up river.

• Using hydraulic lifts, spans are raised then rotated and the barge carefully guided into
position using a system of cables and pulleys where the bridge spans are then lowered
into place and attached to the concrete pilings.

• The central channel remains open to shipping throughout all phases of construction
until the final span is maneuvered into place and attached to the four lift towers.

Construction Completed
• With the center span attached, the bridge is finished and ready for operation.

Bridge Stakeholders
• A project of this size includes a variety of stakeholders.
• The following list is not complete but contains many of those likely affected by the
building of the Middlegrounds Bridge.
• Bridge stakeholders include, in no particular order:
Norfolk Southern
CSX
Amtrak
Lucas County
City of Toledo
Ohio AFL-CIO
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
United Steel Workers
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners
International Association of Bridge, Structural &
Ornamental Iron Workers
TMACOG
Lucas County Metroparks
Northwest Ohio Interurban JPA
Toledo Port Authority
U.S. Coast Guard
Army Corps of Engineers
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Anderson’s Grain
ODOT

Summary
• A good case can be made for adding rail capacity over the Maumee River at Toledo.
However, an even stronger case exists for the need of a second bridge for reasons of
national economic security.
• There are potential catastrophic risks to the structural integrity of the current bridge -
the lone river crossing for a large portion of freight rail and virtually all passenger trains
between Chicago and the east coast - that could make it unusable bringing significant
portions of U.S. rail traffic to a halt.
• In system terms, the crossing over the Maumee River is a “single point of failure.”
• The economic consequences of such a failure would be systemic and national in
scope with the added possibility of severe environmental consequences for Lake Erie in
the event of an accompanying toxic spill.
• One solution may reside in building a second and larger bridge near the existing
crossing.
• A second bridge could service both freight and passenger rail and be constructed with
little or no disruption to existing rail or shipping traffic.
• A second bridge would add needed fluidity to a well known choke point in the nation’s
rail system while strengthening a critical component of America’s national security
infrastructure.

Conclusion
• The current swing bridge crossing the Maumee River at Toledo
is a recognized choke point in the rail system.
• There is need for additional trackage crossing the river. For
now, exactly where and how this should be done is unclear.
• The century old, two-track swing bridge is a “single point of
failure” in the rail system that urgently needs addressing.
• Regardless of the final solution for an added crossing of
the Maumee River by rail, the study and planning for that
solution should begin immediately.

Toledo’s Rail Lift Bridge of the Future

Addendum
Toledo’s NS swing bridge has a “sister” in New York. The
Livingston Avenue Bridge crossing the Hudson River
connects Albany with Rensselaer. The “sister” bridge was
originally built in 1866 but replaced in 1901-02 with a
rotating swing bridge similar to the one in Toledo. (http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livingston_Avenue_Bridge)
Due to the deteriorated condition of the bridge, trains
cross one at a time at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). New
York officials consider the swing bridge mechanism to be
unreliable and the overall bridge design inadequate for
current railroad operating standards. In 2012, The New
York State Department of Transportation identified the
Livingston Avenue Bridge as a critical link in its
Empire Corridor passenger rail line, and initiated a
study project for bridge rehabilitation or replacement.
The rationale offered for initiation of the New York study is similar in nature to the one made in support of a second bridge
crossing the Maumee. As stated in the New York Master Plan, “The Livingston Avenue Bridge is a critical link in New York’s rail
infrastructure and Amtrak’s national rail passenger network. It connects New York City and New England with Buffalo, Chicago
and the western United States. The viability of this structure is therefore essential to providing passenger rail service within the
State.” (http://www.cdtcmpo.org/revest/livingston.htm)
The argument for initiation of the New York study is compelling. New York officials understand the strategic importance of that
bridge for their state. Nonetheless, as strong as the New York case may be, the case for initiation of a similar study for a second
crossing over the Maumee is more compelling in that the Toledo crossing, unlike the Livingston Bridge, 1) handles considerably
more freight traffic and 2) if the Maumee River cannot be crossed there are no practical alternate east-west routes for freight or
Amtrak traffic, effectively halting much of the east-west rail traffic across the northern tier of the United States.
Livingston Avenue Bridge, Albany, NY

Author Affiliations
Jerry W. Wicks, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Sociology, Bowling Green State University
Director, Ohio Higher Education Rail Network Institute
Member, Public Transit and Passenger Rail Committee,
Toledo Metropolitan Council of Governments
Board Member, All Aboard Ohio
The Ohio Higher Education Rail Network (OHERN) Institute is an educational and research division of All Aboard Ohio.
OHERN’s principle goal is strengthening higher education through research into the social, demographic and economic effects of
integrating passenger rail and public transit with college life. (OHERN.ORG)
All Aboard Ohio is a non-profit, member-based organization dedicated to promoting improved public transportation and passenger rail
service throughout the state.
All Aboard Ohio exists to increase public awareness of the need to improve and increase safe and efficient intercity passenger rail and
local public transportation service in Ohio and throughout the United States by conducting nonpartisan research and educational and
informational activities.
All Aboard Ohio is incorporated in Ohio as a non-profit association and exempt from federal income tax under the IRS Code, section
501(c)(3), as a publicly supported educational organization. Dues and donations to All Aboard Ohio are tax-deductible in accordance
with the IRS code.
Middlegrounds Vertical Lift Bridge Document
Update: April, 2015

Maumee river rr_lift_bridge_train_day2015

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