Crewmen from the tugboat Jack Flahaut check  on damage to the front of a barge that struck the icebreaker concrete pier in front of the Union Pacific Railroad bridge over the Missouri River June 2nd.

The tug called the U.S. Coast Guard station at Keokuk, Iowa, at 4:30 a.m. to tell the on-duty officer that the tug had “rubbed” the seldom-used railroad bridge. Just before 6:30 a.m., the tug finally called back to tell the Coast Guard that barges were wrapped around the bridge that supports U.S. Highway 36.

The guard called St. Joseph police to recommend they immediately close the route. Police and Missouri State Highway Patrol officers closed the bridge at about 6:30.

The incident came exactly one week after a barge hit the interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, on May 26. A 500-foot section of roadway collapsed and killed 14 people. The tugboat captain in that disaster had a heart condition, which may have contributed to the crash.

As it turned out, there was little or no damage to the St. Joseph bridges, but in the early dawn light, no one yet knew that. Local fire departments and police were dispatched to both sides of the Highway 36 bridge in order to block traffic.

Missouri Department of Transportation bridge engineer Bob Burnett got the call at 6:55 a.m. 
He was soon headed out across catwalks high above the Missouri River to check on damage.

Meanwhile, the tug had parked its other barges downriver and had come back to untangle the damaged barge, which was full of grain. With daylight to help, the tug’s workers managed to finally retrieve the barges and tie up the damaged barge at St. Joseph’s new Port Authority, operated by Global Material Services. 

A piece of concrete was knocked out of the Union Pacific bridge’s icebreaker, railroad spokesman Mark Davis said. With the bridge swung into its open position, as it is unless in use, the concrete icebreaker was at the north end of the bridge span. Its navigation light was working, but the tug hit it straight on, leaving a huge dent in the barge.

The 1890s railroad bridge, built by Union Pacific, was sold in 1988 and then bought back about four years ago. Currently, the railroad bridge is only used a switcher from the St. Joseph yards about twice a month during the summer season. When the bridge is needed, a bridge tender heads out from Atchison, Missouri to open the bridge up.

Two bridge tenders came upriver to perform the railroad bridge inspection after Union Pacific got the call at 7 a.m. The bridge appeared to be operating normally, they said. Tugs, like trains, are required to immediately inform proper authorities of accidents. The Jack Flahaut is registered in St. Louis. 

The Highway 36 bridge was reopened for traffic at about 8:30 a.m.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Kirby said an investigation into the incident will be made by the Marine Safety Center office in St. Louis.