PUCO approves rail crossing upgrades in Butler, Fayette, Warren counties
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) recently approved safety upgrades at rail crossings in Butler, Fayette and Warren counties.
Norfolk Southern Railway (NSR) will install flashing lights and gates, with traffic preemption, at the Augspurger Road grade crossing in the village of New Miami, Butler County, by Nov. 16, 2024. Federal funds will pay $415,904 to complete the upgrades.
Indiana & Ohio Railway (IORY) will install flashing lights and gates at the West Temple Street grade crossing in the city of Washington Court House, Fayette County, by Nov. 16, 2024. Federal funds will pay $347,777 to complete the upgrades.
IORY will install flashing lights, gates and surface reconstruction at the Gustin Rider Road/C.R. 187 grade crossing in Warren County by Nov. 16, 2024. The total cost of the project is $353,444. Federal funds will pay for the flashing lights and gates in full. Surface reconstruction will be evenly split between federal funds and IORY. The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) will pay a total of $318,317, while IORY will pay a total of $35,126.
To increase public safety during the construction of the project, local government 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 location. 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 356 in 1990 to 61 in 2022.
The Ohio Rail Hotline, at (866) 814-RAIL (7245), provides Ohioans with a toll-free resource for all railroad crossing questions. For more information regarding these crossings, access the Ohio railroad information system website at gradecrossings.puco.ohio.gov.
A copy of the Commission order with a list of the crossings receiving upgrades is available on the PUCO’s website at www.PUCO.ohio.gov. Click on the link to Docketing Information System and enter the case numbers 23-1002-RR-FED, 23-1004-RR-FED and 23-987-RR-FED.