Poor communication led to a towboat striking a railway swing bridge near Slidell, according to the National Transportation Safety Board said in Marine Investigation Report released yesterday.
According to the report, an empty hopper barge being pushed by the Robert Cenac reportedly struck the CSX Rigolets railway swing bridge while it was opening on Jan. 12.
The bridge reportedly sustained damage estimated at $1.1 million and the barge sustained minor damage estimated at $5,000.
No injuries or pollution were reported.
After the pilot of the Robert Cenac called the bridge operator to request the bridge to be opened, the bridge operator said two trains had to pass first, which normally took about 12 minutes to open fully.
The Robert Cenac held about 1.5 miles from the bridge awaiting further communication.
According to CSX records, the second train cleared the bridge at 11:34 p.m., and the captain began his approach to the bridge at 11:48 p.m.
The captain told investigators that by the time he noticed the bridge was not fully open, the tow was too close to stop.
