Editor's Note: This story has been updated with information that the interstate has been reopened in both directions and to correct a headline error that misidentified the interstate number.
A section of I-25 near Pueblo, Colorado, where a train derailed October 15 on the bridge over the interstate and the bridge collapsed, has been reopened in both directions.
The Colorado State Patrol reports that the southbound lanes opened October 18, and the northbound lane repairs were completed October 19.
A 9-mile interstate section between Pueblo and Colorado Springs was closed after the collapse on October 15. The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary statement saying a possible cause of the derailment was a broken rail on the bridge. NTSB continues its investigation, which will likely take one to two years.
Thirty cars on the 124-car Burlington North Santa Fe Railway train derailed. Lafollette Henderson, 60, a tractor-trailer driver was crushed and killed in the incident.
No injuries or other fatalities were reported.
The rail cars were carrying coal. During the cleanup and repairs, traffic has been detoured.
Colorado State Patrol
“All entities will work together to safely open the interstate in conjunction with the NTSB investigation,” according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The rail bridge was built in 1958, reports The Colorado Springs Gazette. "Unlike highway bridges, government agencies don't catalog rail bridges and it’s largely up to the railroads to inspect and maintain them. Federal officials monitor the inspection programs through audits but there is no inventory on the condition of the bridges."
