Water is rising to historic levels in Cedar Rapids; there are 1,000 thousand things happening; but at least one thought remains with the CRANDIC Railway bridge just downstream from the Eighth Avenue bridge.
CRANDIC closed it to traffic on Tuesday evening, and now has parked about 20 hopper cars loaded with rock on the span, hoping the weight of the cars and rock will keep the bridge deck from breaking apart with the high water.
A rail bridge in Waterloo, without cars on it, broke apart on Tuesday.
CRANDIC’s marketing manager, Jeff Woods, has characterized the use of rail cars on bridges during floods as a debatable issue. Some think it’s a good idea, while others don’t: They don’t want to risk having to pick up the rail cars from the river should the flood water move the bridge off its piers, he said.
It’s not unusual. They’ve done this before.