Cleveland Urges Repairs for Dangerous Rail Bridges

Twenty-three railroad bridges in Cleveland are in “critical” condition, a survey found — and city leaders are calling on railroad companies to fix the problem.

“Class I, railroad-owned bridge conditions emerged as a prominent and widespread problem, affecting nearly every ward across the city of Cleveland,” said Councilwoman Jenny Spencer of Ward 15. Class I is the highest-earning classification for railroad companies, with an annual revenue minimum of $504,803,294.

In a news conference Thursday, Spencer was joined by Councilwoman Stephanie Howse of Ward 7 and representatives from the mayor's office in front of the Superior Avenue bridge at East 39th Street — the tenth-worst in the city.

“We looked at 99 railroad bridges that need inspections. Of those, 23 are critical railroad bridge infrastructure problems that we believe need immediate inspection, immediate maintenance and immediate repairs,” said Mark Griffin, law director for the city of Cleveland. “There are also 76 non-critical railroad bridges as well that need maintenance due to everything from falling concrete to the potential for disaster.”


Failing wing walls, beams, columns and bearings were among the issues found for bridges in critical condition, many of which were built more than a century ago.
The push to improve railroad infrastructure earned the national spotlight after the catastrophic derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine.

Last month, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) directly addressed Norfolk Southern, CSX and Canadian National Railway, the largest Class I railroad companies in the state, urging them to repair their “obviously unacceptable” infrastructure.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, the United States saw more than 1,100 train derailments in 2022, or roughly three everyday. Of those derailments, 11 involved dangerous chemicals.

“To [major railway companies] we say, ‘Don’t tell us you don’t know because now you do,'" said Griffin. "We expect you to fix these bridges and, if you don’t, we will hold you responsible.”

In addition to calling on railway companies, city officials say Ohio’s Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Railroad Administration need to be more proactive in inspecting railroad bridges and making companies address unsafe infrastructure.

“So our message to the railroad companies today is, ‘Clean up your act’, our message to the federal and state authorities is, ‘Do your job’, and our message to our citizens is, ‘We hear you. We’re going to do everything we can within our power to protect you, protect your health and protect your safety,’” said Griffin.

The complete survey of railroad bridges conducted by the Mayor's Office of Capital Projects is included below. Bridges are ranked from most to least-critical condition.

Critical and Non-Critical Railroad Bridge Infrastructure Survey Bridges by Maria Elena Scott on Scribd