FM bridge may stay open for Mexican Fiesta

FORT MADISON – The length of the upcoming extended closure of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe bridge over the Mississippi River in Fort Madison is still becoming clear.
An announcement sent out on July 8 indicated that maintenance on the bridge will result in a lengthy closure for the bridge through November.
The bridge was set to be closed to auto traffic in August from the 5th through the 30th and then reopen for the Tri State Rodeo, only to close again on Sept. 9 through Nov. 22, 2024.
However, sources close to the Mexican Fiesta, which is set for Fort Madison’s historic Mexican Village from Sept. 12-14th have hinted that rail officials have agreed to keep the bridge open for auto traffic during the Fiesta.
Angela Salazar, who represents the fiesta in dealings with the city including Fort Madison City Council, said the railroad has agreed to open the bridge again only to close on September 16.
Liegois said Wednesday the railroad issued a revised statement to that effect on the closures. Peter Skosey, executive director of government affairs for Iowa and Illinios, confirmed in an email to Pen City Current that the bridge would be open for an additional week to allow for the Tri State Rodeo and Mexican Fiesta.
Liegois said four months of closure will obviously have some impact on the city.
“Well, obviously there will be some economic impact with sales tax dollars that won’t be coming in,” she said. “The people who live across the river that used to come into Fort Madison to shop could stop in Keokuk or Burlington if they have to go that far to cross the river.”
She said there haven’t been in-depth conversations with city staff about that economic impact. However, staff has discussed how traffic will change.
“Many people who come across the river to work will have to go through Burlington or Keokuk to get here,” Liegois said.
“They’ll have to leave earlier and our traffic patterns will change from an east side heavy pattern to the west, southwest, and northern roadways into the city.”
Maintenance work on the bridge will include replacing floor beams and associated stringers at six different locations on both the east and west approach. Since the bridge is owned and operated by BNSF Railway, toll revenue collected on the bridge is paying for part of the maintenance with BNSF making up the remainder of the cost. No public dollars are being used.
BNSF will halt work during the Tri-State Rodeo in Fort Madison from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8 to allow for traffic across the bridge.
The closest other bridges across the river are Keokuk to the south and Burlington to the north.