PUCO approves upgrade of rail crossings in Delaware County

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The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Thursday approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing CSX Transportation (CSX) and the Columbus & Ohio River Railroad to make the following improvements at rail crossings in Delaware and Franklin counties.

CSX is directed to install lights and roadway gates at the Glenn Road/Township Road 93 grade crossing in Delaware County, a news release states.

Columbus & Ohio River Railroad is directed to make improvements to the lights and roadway gates, and install traffic pre-emption, at Waggoner Road/County Road 106 in Franklin County.

The grade crossing improvement projects are to be completed by Sept. 7, 2017, and will be paid for with federal funds.

To increase public safety during the construction of the projects, local governments may seek funding from the PUCO for the cost of safety improvements such as rumble strips, illumination, improved signage or other enhancements at the project locations. Funding for such improvements comes from the State Grade Crossing Safety Fund and may not exceed $5,000 per project.

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 these evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased significantly, from 123 in 2001 to 72 in 2015.

The Ohio Rail Hotline, at 866-814-7245, provides Ohioans with a toll-free resource for all railroad crossing questions. For information regarding these crossings, access the Ohio railroad information system website at http://gradecrossings.puco.ohio.gov/.

Staff report

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