This is in response to The Vicksburg Post editorial of Sept. 25, “Get the job done.”

The Kansas City Southern Railway Company has undertaken this project to seek a comprehensive solution to a difficult geological problem that’s been felt for years and is not of our making — a particular kind of soil at this location which has a tremendous tendency to shift and flow when wet.

This geological issue is what caused the closure of the bridge. It is not surprising that the project has been difficult to complete.

KCS, in partnership with the City of Vicksburg, is attempting to remedy the sliding of soil by creating a solid fill over a newly-created tunnel, and filling in up to the level of the old bridge. Hopefully, it will be a permanent fix for the road, for the utilities which have previously been left hanging out in midair when the hill slid away from underneath them, and for the railroad so that the hillsides stop sliding down onto the track.

KCS agreed to manage this difficult project effectively at a fixed cost, even though the primary beneficiaries will be Vicksburg’s motorists. KCS seeks to be a positive corporate citizen in the communities through which it operates, and is making every effort to fix this difficult problem and complete it as quickly and responsibly as possible.

C. Doniele Carlson

AVP Corporate Communications

& Community Affairs

Kansas City Southern