Union Pacific To Pay For New Bridge At Glenview-Northbrook Border

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 29, 2012 8:45PM

A UPRR crew using a rail crane to lift and remove a portion of a signal tower that was demolished by a train derailment that collapsed the UPRR bridge over Shermer Rd, and killed two individuals July 4. (Photo Credit: Duane Rapp)

Trustees from the Villages of Glenview and Northbrook signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday that would allow for the rebuilding of the Shermer Road rail bridge that collapsed last month, killing a couple that was in their car below.

The agreement, signed along with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad, would make the railroad responsible for building a 149-foot long "open deck design" bridge that would prevent debris (and ostensibly the bridge itself) from falling on vehicles and pedestrians below. The agreement also calls for the removal of a center pier under the bridge and expanding Shermer Road to three lanes.

Once construction begins, Union Pacific will build a temporary bridge via Old Willow Road from Shermer to Patriot Boulevard. In total, Union Pacific could be on the hook for as much as $10 million in construction costs. IDOT, Glenvie and Northbrook would be responsible for the roadway improvements.

Union Pacific has repeatedly said nothing was wrong structurally with the bridge prior to its July 4 collapse, although a railroad worker reported something wrong with a portion of the track near the bridge the day of the collapse. The Shermer Road Bridge has had a history of accidents dating back to the 1970s.

A lawsuit has already been filed by the family of the couple killed in the collapse.