Ohio's PUCO approves rail crossing upgrades

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has approved construction authorization that directs the Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad (CFE) and Norfolk Southern Railway to improve grade crossings in Allen, Ashtabula and Crawford counties.

CFE will install lights and gates at the N. Rumbaugh Road/Township Road 232 grade crossing in Allen County. NS will install lights and gates at the Marrian Road/Township Road 183 grade crossing in Ashtabula County, and at the Lemert Road/Township Road 29 grade crossing in Crawford County, according to a PUCO press release.

The projects are to be completed by Dec. 22. Federal funding for the projects will be provided through the Ohio Rail Development Commission.

The PUCO is responsible for evaluating Ohio's public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the PUCO began implementing its evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased from 123 in 2001 to 72 in 2015, PUCO officials said.