PORTLAND, Ore. — The Streel Bridge in Portland has reopened after Union Pacific freight train derailed on the lower deck of Monday morning, halting traffic.
The upper and lower decks of the Steel Bridge were shut down to all vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic for nearly five hours and the closure impacted TriMet MAX lines. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) reopened the bridge just before 11 a.m. ODOT had said it would reopen the bridge only after inspections showed it was safe to do so.
The derailment happened on the east end of the bridge. Police officers responded to the derailment just after 6 a.m. Five cars derailed near the east end of the Steel Bridge, according to Union Pacific.
Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) said one train car was leaning against the bridge's structural support column. Engineers with Union Pacific were called in to assess the structural stability of the bridge.
“Safety was a concern and so we shut the bridge down,” Lt. Laurent Picard, the Public Information Officer of Portland Fire & Rescue said.
Union Pacific freight train derails on Steel Bridge in Portland
A hazmat team with PF&R also responded to determine whether there were any hazmat issues. As of 11 a.m., no hazmat issues have been reported.
"The train cars are empty. Clean up is underway, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation," Union Pacific said in a statement to KGW around 9:40 a.m.
Union Pacific and BNSF Railway share the railroad track on the Steel Bridge, according to PF&R. The agency said it's working with Union Pacific to develop a plan "for mitigation of this derailment."
"Steel Bridge is really the hardest working bridge in town because it carries bikes, pedestrians, light rail and heavy rail, and just all kinds of transit goes on the Steel Bridge so it's difficult to get that thing closed up for a while," said ODOT spokesperson Don Hamilton.
There are currently no reports of any injuries.
Some dealt with delays in commute times, though cyclists and TriMet riders told KGW delays were only around 10 minutes to get to their destination.
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