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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stu Nicholson
Date: May 26, 2005 (614) 644-0513
North Lima Gets Safer Crossing
New Lights & Gates for South Range Rd Crossing
(Columbus) – A Mahoning County railroad crossing that is now protected only by the familiar set of “cross bucks” will be getting an important safety upgrade. The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) has authorized construction of new flashing lights and warning gates for the State Route 165 (also known as South Range Road) where it crosses the tracks of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad.
“Cross buck signs are becoming more and more a relic of the past in Ohio”, says ORDC Executive Director James Seney. “They are not adequate to protect either motorists or train crews at crossings in Ohio that are seeing increasing levels of vehicular traffic. That’s why ORDC works with local communities to replace or upgrade such crossings.”
ORDC has improved over 1,000 railroad crossings in Ohio since the mid-1990's. The cost of a typical crossing upgrade ranges from $100,00 to $200,000, with funding coming from federal, state and local government and the private sector (usually the railroads).
(The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent agency operating within the Ohio Department of Transportation. ORDC is responsible for economic development through the improvement and expansion of passenger and freight rail service, railroad grade crossing safety and rail travel & tourism issues. For more information about what ORDC does for Ohio, visit our website at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/ )