In northeast North Dakota, agriculture businesses are scrambling to find a short-term solution after a fire destroyed a bridge and the 25 miles of railroad track they rely on for shipping grain, beans and other products, reports The Bismarck Tribune.
“At this point, they’ve claimed they have no money left to repair the bridge,” Chuck Lorz, the manager for Walhalla Farmers Grain, told the Tribune.
Lorz said Walhalla Farmers Grain ships approximately 85% of its grain via train. Curt Kirking, who co-owns Cavalier Bean Co., said his company ships about 90% of its product by rail.
Businesses are currently waiting on an estimated cost from private contractors, Kirking said. It’s likely businesses and stakeholders will have to pay for the new bridge on their own.
Walhalla Farmers Grain is already trucking grain to where the track is in much better condition and still running.
