Former Fredericksburg councilman Joe Wilson, who lives near the downtown train depot, recently found chunks of concrete that fell from this CSX railroad bridge onto Princess Anne Street. He mailed two big pieces to CSX Corp. headquarters. DAVE ELLIS View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Concrete EXAMPLE

CSX railroad bridges in Fredericksburg are crumbling, pose danger to pedestrians

By EDIE GROSS

Date published: 2/11/2005

Special delivery for Michael J. Ward.

The chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp. has about 35 pounds of concrete coming at him, courtesy of former Fredericksburg Councilman Joe Wilson and UPS.

Wilson lugged the two large chunks of concrete back to his Caroline Street home after they fell off a CSX railroad overpass downtown.

He boxed them up and shipped them off last week with a letter urging Ward to repair the railroad bridges that span Charles, Princess Anne, Caroline and Sophia streets before a piece of concrete falls on a pedestrian.

"I didn't fool with the small stuff," said Wilson, who found the 12- and 23-pound slabs lying on the Princess Anne Street sidewalk.

"They [UPS] asked me what was in the box, and I told 'em, 'Rocks. It's a box of rocks,'" he said. "She gave me a funny look."

This is the second time Wilson has mailed bridge debris to CSX officials. About two years ago, he sent then-CSX Chairman John Snow (now the U.S. treasury secretary) a 15-pound chunk of concrete he found under the Caroline Street bridge.

He and other city officials have urged the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company to repair the deteriorating bridges but haven't had much luck.

CSX officials have said that replacing or refurbishing the bridges would cost several million dollars. At CSX's request, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis sought federal money for the project. But that federal transportation bill hasn't passed the Senate yet.

In the meantime, Wilson said, what happens if a pedestrian walking under one of the bridges is struck by falling concrete?

"Somebody is going to be seriously injured," he said. "If something that size hits you on the head, you're going to feel it."

Wilson urged City Council members on Tuesday to make dealing with CSX a priority. The council then asked City Attorney Kathleen Dooley to investigate what its legal options are.

"If possible, I'd like to see the city go to the next level with legal action against CSX," Councilwoman Debby Girvan said Wednesday. "Unless they're ready to take responsibility for their facilities, they're negligent."

At the very least, she said, CSX should hang some netting from the bridge to catch debris--until the company comes up with a permanent fix.

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Date published: 2/11/2005