An accident involving an Ameren Illinois bucket truck and the East Street viaduct Thursday afternoon caused a temporary suspension of train traffic through Kewanee.
Deputy Police Chief Steve Kijanowski said Thursday night that the bucket on the Ameren truck struck the underside of the tracks in the viaduct, bending some supports and bringing down some debris.
Out of a concern for motorists’ safety, police ordered that the viaduct be closed, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad suspended train traffic through Kewanee.
Railroad officials sent two inspectors to assess the damage. At the scene they said they were not authorized to release information to the media, but they apparently determined that the tracks were safe.
By 8:30 p.m. the evening Amtrak train from Chicago pulled into Kewanee, and freight trains began passing through town.
The viaduct remained closed as of 9 p.m.
