CASEYVILLE, Ill. – This was not supposed to be possible—what FOX 2 found on the scene was a Caseyville levee free from obstruction.
It’s a dramatic change from what we’ve shown you in the past—an old, abandoned railroad bridge that clogged rain debris. That, in turn, led to flooding in the nearby Caseyville neighborhood.
You can even still see all the debris that’s become caught under the old train bridge over the years and dug out. Most recently, city workers had to pull out a massive tree trunk that had become lodged in the passage.
The railroad recently removed the bridge, causing problems.
“I could not believe it. (My colleague), Brian, he come and got me and took me out here to show it to me,” Mayor G.W. Scott Sr. said.
City Manager Doug Stewart added, “Some of our trustees have been fighting for this for 50 years, so it kind of brings a tear to your eye when you realize the magnitude of what this brings.”
It’s also emotional because he says this levee is breached 5 to 7 times a year and there’s a lot of rain on the way.
“It would be a significant cause of concern for us, and it still is, however having that bridge removed will increase the drainage from this area and minimize decrease the risk of our incidents for a flooding issue,” Stewart said.
The action is also startling because the railroads originally did not answer Caseyville’s concerns—until a FOX 2 report led to viewer Scott Nauert getting involved.
Nauert, who knows a CSX Railroad VIP, told FOX 2 at that time in September 2023.
“I saw you story on air and I forwarded the link to him on email and he sent me a reply right back and said we’re going to get right on it,” Nauert said.
Stewart commented Tuesday, “The beautiful thing about getting that one viewer, who did bring CSX to the table – now we have an ongoing relationship whenever there is an issue with the bridge. Now we have a direct line of communication and it’s just a matter of picking up the phone rather than running a news story to get them to address it.”
It’s just the beginning of progress at the levee location, Stewart says, as they’ll now be working on redoing the entire levee system after winning a multi-million-dollar grant.
“This is just one step that affects flooding issues that impact in the entire Metro East region,” Stewart said.
Representative Nikki Budzinski commented on the grant award.
“The historic floods that hit Caseyville back in 2022 upended countless families and businesses across the community, leaving many struggling to recover. I was pleased to work alongside leaders in Caseyville, St. Clair County, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to get this much-needed funding moving and out the door. Now, the people of Caseyville can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they have received these dollars and can rebuild. I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Scott and Caseyville leaders to see this funding in action and the lives that will be changed for the better.”