It's Not Water Under the Bridge
By YVONNE NAVA
Updated 11:00 AM EST, Mon, Nov 9, 2009
Fisherman along the Niantic River in East Lyme found themselves in quite a pickle this past week. The 102-year-old railroad bridge that spans the river became stuck in the down position Sunday afternoon, during a busy time. According to the Day of New London, plenty of boats were returning to port, when a chain that hoists the bridge up for boat traffic snapped, causing the platform to free fall back down.
Greg Dubrule, captain of Black Hawk II, described the situation: "We've had numerous breakdowns, but it's always been repaired within 48 hours," said Dubrule. "You might have had to spend a night out in the bay to baby-sit the boat, but nope, it's never been like this."
Aside from inconvenience, Dubrule added that he and other captains likely lost tens of thousands of dollars in lost business. In addition to that, some fisherman incurred extra expenses from having to dock at a new location.
Since Sunday, Nov. 1, the railroad bridge was stuck down, making it impossible for boats to come and go from port. As of this past Sunday morning, contractors for Amtrak, which owns and maintains the bridge, finished long-awaited repairs, said the Day.
"And one way or another, we're going to get paid," Dubrule said. He told the paper that he intends to foot Amtrak with the bill. In fact, many other stranded captains said they plan to petition Amtrak to recoup the money they lost.
No one was injured and rail service was only temporarily delayed.
First Published: Nov 9, 2009 10:31 AM EST
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