Ogden Dunes Chief of Police Jeremy Ogden, provided an update Monday on the town being clocked by a train.
Chief Ogden says he was in contact with the officers working during the three times the town had been blocked by Norfolk Southern Railway on Friday and Saturday. I have had multiple conversations with Norfolk Southern about the issue.
Ogden says that Monday he again spoke with management of Norfolk Southern. They again advised they will be sending out additional correspondence to their staff to avoid blocking Hillcrest.
On Saturday, Ogden spoke with the engineer from US Steel, who advised that the bridge can be used in emergency situations only. For safety reasons, police will only send one car across at a time. Police can still bring in emergency equipment if necessary.
Ogden says he also spoke with the engineer again Monday and he advised they believe that all repairs will be able to be made from the underside of the bridge. Ogden says this is good and means that they will still be able to use it in emergencies. The engineer also stated that work will begin soon and still has an expected completion date of around March 25.
Officers will communicate with the railroad and determine when and if the bridge will be used to let traffic out of town in the event of a blocked crossing based on expected time of blockage and number of vehicles waiting. Ogden says that US Steel Security are monitoring the barricades and will assist officers when it is necessary to use the bridge.