Ohio agency OKs grade crossing projects for NS, Wheeling & Lake Erie

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission, which is calling for Norfolk Southern Railway and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad to make improvements at rail crossings in Medina and Stark counties.

NS has been directed to install upgraded LED lights, new gate mechanisms and two bells at the Market Street grade crossing in Canton, located in Stark County.

Wheeling & Lake Erie will install lights and grates at the Old Mill Road crossing in Spencer Township, Medina County.

NS and Wheeling & Lake Erie must complete their work by Feb. 15, 2020, PUCO officials said in a press release.

PUCO is responsible for evaluating Ohio's public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since it began the evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased from 356 in 1990 to 66 in 2018, agency officials said.