Railroad crossings getting upgrade
BUCYRUS - More trains are moving through north central Ohio on a daily, or at least weekly, basis now than just a few short years ago, and more of those trains are transporting volatile fuels as America's oil and natural gas boom continues.
Yet during this same time span, the amount of crashes involving trains and vehicles in the state, including those with injuries and fatalities, has shown a steady downward trend. A continuing emphasis on safety measures along the tracks and particularly at railroad crossings has undoubtedly helped in that regard, although it's doubtful that the latest improvement will make much of a difference.
By the middle of next year, dozens of what the rail industry calls passive railroad crossings will feature new signage for motorists. Accustomed to perhaps just slowing down for rural or seldom-traveled crossings, drivers will now be required to come to a full stop before crossing to the other side of the tracks, as yield signs will be replaced with stop signs. Some of these intersections now just have crossbucks.
Failure to stop could result in a traffic citation for the motorist, provided the driver is observed by a law enforcement officer, usually unlikely given the isolated locations of most of these crossings.
According to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, however, the vast majority of vehicle/train collisions in Ohio occur at crossings with flashing lights and gates, while only a tiny percentage take place at crossings with crossbucks/yield signage.
In Crawford County, 32 passive railroad crossings meet the criteria for stop signs, although the Ohio Rail Development Commission has ruled that 12 are exempt.
In Marion County, 11 passive railroad crossings meet the criteria for stop signs, although the Ohio Rail Development Commission has ruled that one is exempt.
"The volume of trains has to be one or less per day, coupled with a high volume of traffic of 4,000 or more vehicles per day. Also, if there's a nearby intersection or there are visibility issues the stop signs could do more trouble than good," Megan McClory, secretary-treasurer for the ORDC, said of the exempt crossings.
"Initial screening letters were sent to communities and if they thought exemptions were needed they could make a request. The final say was up to the ODOT director."
From 2005 through 2014, there were four fatal vehicle/train collisions in Crawford County, but none were at any of the county's passive railroad crossings.
From 2005 through 2014, there was just one fatal vehicle/train collision in Marion County, and it was not at a passive railroad crossing.
The change in law requiring the installation of stop signs at most passive crossings in the state popped up in the Ohio Revised Code earlier this fall, after the change was written into the state's 2013 budget.
"The railroads are installing the signs and we are reimbursing them $500 per crossing, and the railroads will maintain them as they do the signs there now," McClory said.
The stop signs started going up in September, and the ORDC expects all installations to be finished by the middle of next year.
In Crawford County, the signs will be going up in nine townships, including three signs each in Cranberry and Lykens townships. Stop signs are also being installed at two passive crossings in the village of New Washington and one in the village of Chatfield. Four in the city of Bucyrus have been declared exempt.
In Marion County, the signs will be going up in three townships, along with one in the village of Prospect, two in the village of Morral and four in the city of Marion.
Ohio is home to 36 freight railroads operating 5,300 miles of track, and ranks fifth in the nation in goods transported by rail. The state is also home to 11.5 million people, which helps to explain why there are a staggering 5,700 railroad crossings in Ohio, most of them across the state's northern third.
"Starting last year, we began to see a very dramatic rise in our freight rail transportation. These are levels we hadn't seen since before the recession of 2008, and while they are good signs for the economy, they present infrastructure challenges and capacity issues," David Pidgeon, a spokesperson for Norfolk & Southern, said.
"More trains means more cars and more rail congestion. We looked at our entire 22-state network to find opportunities where we could reroute trains."
Norfolk & Southern maintains a busy line that drops south from Sandusky, running through Bucyrus and Marion on its way to Columbus. It also dispatches all trains on the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad tracks, which extend 315 miles from Tolleston, Ind., east to Crestline, running through the center of Crawford County as well as Bucyrus.
Both lines have seen increased train traffic this year, including an increase in oil cars. Railroads can haul only restricted amounts of hazardous chemical substances, and they must be spread out in the event of a derailment. But oil cars face no such restrictions and can be bunched together.
Over the past few months train traffic across north central Ohio fell into a perceptible lull as rail companies rushed to install Positive Train Control safety measures on both their locomotives and tracks, a requirement of the Federal Railroad Administration. Temporary detours went up as the railroads hurried to meet a deadline of Dec. 31.
However, Congress recently extended that deadline to the end of 2018 as it looked as if virtually no railroads would be able to meet the earlier one, and local train traffic has since ratcheted back up.
In Bucyrus, a City Council committee recently discussed pursuing a quiet zone in the city whereby trains would be prohibited from sounding their horns within city limits. The FRA, which approves quiet zones, requires additional safety measures be constructed at all railroad crossings to overcome the decrease in safety created by silencing the train horns, at the community's expense.
The Council committee decided to put the proposal on hold.
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Passive railroad crossings getting stop signs in Crawford County
Glenville Road at CFE tracks, Bucyrus Twp.
Sinn Road at CFE tracks, Bucyrus Twp.
Brokensword Road at N&S tracks, Chatfield Twp.
Chapel Road at Wheeling & Lake Erie tracks, Cranberry Twp.
Marsh Road at W&E tracks, Cranberry Twp.
Young Road at W&E tracks, Cranberry Twp.
Connely Road at W&E tracks, Chatfield Twp.
North Auburn Road at W&E tracks, Auburn Twp.
Scott Road at W&E tracks, Auburn Twp.
Beck Road at CFE tracks, Jefferson Twp.
Lemert Road at N&S tracks, Liberty Twp.
Quaintance Road at N&S tracks, Liberty Twp.
Kennedy Road at W&E tracks, Lykens Twp.
Miller Road at W&E tracks, Lykens Twp.
Ross Road at W&E tracks, Lykens Twp.
Knauss Road at W&E tracks, Texas Twp.
Knauss Road at CFE tracks, Tod Twp.
Washington Street at N&S tracks, village of Chatfield
Albright Road at CFE tracks, Whetstone Twp.
Olentangy Road at CFE tracks, Whetstone Twp.
Source: Ohio Rail Development Commission
Passive railroad crossings getting stop signs in Marion County
Winnemac Pike at CSX tracks, Bowling Green Twp.
Alley at CSX tracks, city of Marion
Kellogg Parkway at N&S tracks, city of Marion
Leader Street at N&S tracks, city of Marion
Marion-Williamsport Road at CSX tracks, Claridon Twp.
Marion-Williamsport Road at CSX tracks, city of Marion
Emahiser Road at CSX tracks, Tully Twp.
Center Street at CSX tracks, village of Morral
Mill Street at CSX tracks, village of Morral
Park Street at CSX tracks, village of Prospect
Source: Ohio Rail Development Commission