Ohio panel OKs safety updates at Class I, short line crossings

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) directing CSX, Indiana & Ohio Railway and Norfolk Southern Railway to install and upgrade warning devices at grade crossings in Fayette, Franklin, Montgomery, Putnam and Wayne counties.

CSX will install lights and gates at the Old Webster Road crossing in Vandalia, Montgomery County, while Indiana & Ohio Railway will install the same equipment at the South Elm Street crossing in Washington Court House, Fayette County.

NS will upgrade circuitry and add advanced traffic preemption to the active warning devices at Lockbourne Road and Fairwood Avenue in Columbus. The Class I also will install active warning devices at crossings in Putnam and Wayne counties.

The railroads have until Sept. 26, 2019, to complete the work, according to a PUCO press release.

Federal dollars from the State Grade Crossing Safety Fund will help pay for the projects. Local governments can seek funding from the PUCO for the rumble strips, illumination, improved signage and other safety improvements at crossings.

The PUCO evaluates Ohio's public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the commission began these evaluations, the number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio dropped to 68 last year from 356 in 1990, PUCO officials said.