A rail trestle on Glass Road abandoned long ago was torn down Tuesday by Warren County, finishing a job started, then halted, 16 months ago.

Beams crossing above the road and presenting an impediment to large vehicles were removed by trackhoe, and road department crews were expected to take down support pilings today, said Richard Winans, county road manager.

Lane closures on most of the .3-mile section of Glass Road north of LeTourneau Road were expected until 4 p.m. today. Pieces of the structure will be taken to a local landfill, Winans said.

Portions of the trestle were partially dismantled in February 2008 by the county, shortly after the re-election of District 4 Supervisor Bill Lauderdale. Work was stopped in progress when the county learned the trestle and an adjacent 4.25 miles of unused track was part of a continuing formal abandonment process between Kansas City Southern Railway and the federal government.

When a private sector offer to purchase the railroad right of way was withdrawn, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board decided the City of Vicksburg owned the trestle because it was within property eyed for a bicycle path in the works as part of a three-way deal with Lakes Entertainment. The trail became the city’s primary choice for developing the rail lines south of town when the casino development stalled.

City officials said in May the trestle would not stand in the way of building a trail and parts of the property over county right of way could be transferred to the county without an issue.

With a posted clearance of just 9 feet, 5 inches, the structure was an obstacle for ambulances and large trucks.

Glass Road resident Patricia Barnes has lived in the shadow of the trestle, on private Thomas Drive, for more than 20 years — and was happy to see it go.

 “It’s going to be better now.,” Barnes said. “No trucks will go through my yard or tear up the road.”

Barnes said she has gone through at least two mailboxes since acquiring her property in 1986, each a victim to vehicles turning around on the side road fronting her house due to not being able to fit under the trestle.

When in service, the line served as a north-south supplement to trains tracking U.S. 61. The main north-south line now courses through central Mississippi, generally on the same path as Interstate 55.

*

Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com