Debris in Sespe Creek may have undermined railroad bridge supports during storms
Early January's storms knocked out a section of train bridge over the Sespe Creek in the Fillmore area that may cost $1.5 million to replace.
It appears the heavy rain carried down substantial debris including trees from upstream, damaging and then sweeping away the concrete structures supporting the track on Jan. 10, county officials say. About a quarter of the 450-foot bridge was lost, making that portion unusable as the track bowed over the mountain creek that terminates in Fillmore.
On average one train a week had been running on the route from Fillmore to Ventura, said Ken Beard, president and CEO of Sierra Northern Railway, which operates a freight business on the line.
"We were getting ready to increase our business just as this bridge fell down," Beard said.
He anticipated that the 53-year-old bridge located west of Fillmore by Old Telegraph Road could be repaired by the end of March or April.
Trains can operate on either side of the lost bridge section, but not across it for an unknown period of time, said Amanda Fagan, an official at the Ventura County Transportation Commission, which owns the bridge.
The commission is seeking federal funding for the repairs, Fagan said. She did not know how long the bridge section would be out of commission.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Repairs to broken Fillmore train bridge could cost $1.5M