The train derailment in the Yellowstone River near Reed Point on Saturday has brought up questions regarding the safety of Montana's railways.
U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, who represents eastern Montana, is among the many in the Treasure State who shared concerns after the bridge completely collapsed, leaving 10 cars in the river.
"This could've been a very, very tragic thing," Rosendale said on Monday afternoon. "We have a lot of infrastructure needs and we need to make sure that we focus our attention on doing just that."
His primary concern is the state's aging bridge system. Earlier this year, a train derailed near Missoula, spilling beer into the Clark Fork River (link).
"Now that we are seeing failures like this, it does give me great concern," Rosendale said.
Darryl James is the director of the Montana Infrastructure Coalition. While the group focuses primarily on roads, James said that Montana's railway system could use some upgrades.
"All of our road and bridge infrastructure in Montana is aging, and so it's probably a good wake-up call to say, 'We better make sure we're staying on top of this stuff,'" James said.
James said that the typical bridge life for roads is about 50 years. While he doesn't know exactly what caused this derailment, he believes that bridge was more than 75 years old.
"Any statement from me would be pure speculation," James said. "This generation didn't build this infrastructure. It was built post-World War II, and we've not significantly invested in our transportation infrastructure in the country."
In February, many around the country were gripped by the news of a 38-car derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic material and sickening people in the neighborhood. James said that is a great example of why he believes the infrastructure needs to be updated.
"I think the number of derailments across the country are probably an indication of the need to invest in real infrastructure," James said.
According to Rosendale, the Montana Rail Link president confirmed that the structure of this bridge had been checked and modified last year. Those recent renovations are a big reason why many are so surprised by the disaster.
"I think we have to keep continuous vigilance in inspecting and monitoring our infrastructure because that is the role of the federal government," Rosendale said. "We need to keep our roads open so that we can commerce between states."
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