BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A historic bridge in Bismarck that a nonprofit tried for years to save is now being targeted for removal.
Friends of the Rail Bridge wants to stop BNSF Railway from demolishing the 138-year-old Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge spanning the Missouri River, the Bismarck Tribune reported on Saturday.
The preservation group and railroad signed an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard in January outlining paths to either keep or remove the bridge. The Coast Guard decides on projects proposed along that part of the Missouri River.
The railroad, in a letter dated Thursday, asked the Coast Guard to shift its efforts from preserving the bridge to removing it.
Director of Bridge Maintenance Mike Herzog listed multiple concerns with the preservation group’s progress, including a lack of a public partner, no demonstrated ability to meet fundraising goals and unmet deadlines.
The Coast Guard did not respond to a Tribune request for comment.
Friends of the Rail Bridge had until March 15 to establish a public-private partnership that would eventually take ownership of the historic bridge to prevent its demolition and convert it to a pedestrian bridge. Herzog said that without a partner, the group is out of compliance with the January agreement.
Herzog said that the nonprofit is unable to take on the responsibilities of the public-private partnership alone.
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