Deteriorating bridge in Angola

ANGOLA, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's a bridge that dozens of trains roll across every day. And, as News 4's cameras captured, it's literally falling apart. Village leaders have been trying for years to get something done. So, whats the hold up?

The whistle blows as another train whisks through the small community of Angola.

The village, once a big train stop along the Lake Shore corridor, was originally built, Mayor Hub Frawley says, because of the railroad.

"It would be nice to get another railroad station because I'd like to see the trains come back for passengers," said Frawley.

But before that happens, the Mayor and Trustee John Wilson, among others, have a more immediate need; getting this railroad bridge fixed.

News 4 asked, "Would you consider this dangerous to be down here under this bridge?"
Wilson answered, "Standing under it? Yes."

This colossal structure, which crosses over Big Sister Creek, is owned by CSX Transportation. As you can see, the exterior is crumbling piece by piece.

News 4 asked, "Have you been after CSX for a while?"
Frawley said, "Yea, we have been for quite a few years, and it's time to make this happen."

Village Trustee John Wilson lives just a stone's throw from the bridge and creek.

He guided us through the brush for a closer inspection.

News 4 immediately spotted large concrete chunks just dangling above the creek.

News 4 noticed even bigger chunks, that have fallen from the structure, now anchored in the water.

John Wilson says he's been making noise about the bridge's condition for more than three years.

Wilson said, "What we've tried to do is promote the access. Promote the fact that it's a dangerous situation with the material falling off."

Evidence of the bridge's deterioration has been piling up for years. There are cracks, holes and exposed rebar. Even the railing on top has pulled away from the decaying structure.

Everytime a train goes across this bridge pieces of the structure literally rain down.

And News 4 has the video to prove it. Watch the attached video to see what happens when a train barrels over the bridge. It doesn't take long for pieces to fall in the creek.

Keep in mind people fish there in the summer and snowmobile in the winter.

Frawley said, "As far as I know, structurally, the bridge is sound but it just needs to have the rebar, the concrete redone, and all the loose concrete taken off of there so nobody gets injured."

"It's aesthetics that we're concerned about. But the aesthetics can hurt someone also," Wilson said.

CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan tells me the railroad is aware of the problem, and that an engineering firm is in the process of developing a plan to fix the decaying structure.

He say the work should be completed this year.

Incidentally, the area near the bridge has a horrific past dating back to the 1800's. It was the scene of one of the worst train disasters in American history.