July 21, 2000
Railroad rules
By Vicki Hunker
Staff Writer
BOWLING GREEN &emdash; A policy manual explaining the guidelines for getting state and federal money to build overpasses or underpasses at railroad crossings was revealed Thursday.
The guidelines will be used to determine the highest priority projects for Ohio's 10-year, $200 million program to improve safety for communities most affected by increased train traffic during the past few years.
The Railroad Grade Separation Program Policies and Procedures Manual was handed out during a Transportation Review Advisory Subcommittee meeting at the Ohio Department of Transportation District 2 office in Bowling Green.
The manual is the result of five months of public meetings and research stemming from increased train traffic in many communities due to the 1998 purchase of Conrail by Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Transportation, said Grodon Proctor, ODOT director.
It's estimated that 40-100 projects will be funded during the 10-year program. Projects requested by communities will be chosen depending on how the crossing affects the quality of life, safety or economy of a community; if a crossing has more than 30 trains and an average of 1,000 vehicles per day; if the crossing isolates police, fire or school facilities; and the nearness of another crossing.
"We do still have a lot of concerns about the constructability and cost of some of these projects," Proctor said.
Each fall of the 10-year program, beginning this September, the TRAC subcommittee will accept applications for projects.
Through the winter, subcommittee members will screen and prioritize the projects before conducting public hearings regarding project rankings during the following spring and summer.
"The state of Ohio is one of the first states in the nation to establish a program of this kind and ODOT is interested in your comments regarding this manual," Proctor said.
A public review and comment period on the guidelines will run through Aug. 24. Send comments to: Mike Ciotola, Railroad Grade Separation Program Manager, Ohio Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Director for Planning & Production, 1980 W. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43223 or fax comments to (614) 644-0587.