Drivers cross about railroad work

Written by jrood

Railroad maintenance crews have been a thorn in the side of Pittsburg, Kan., drivers for about a month, blocking some streets for up to a week at a time, The Morning Sun reports. And those drivers could have to wait a few more days before the repair crews have finished their job.



Since Aug. 31, the Kansas
City Southern has been working on a crosstie, track-surfacing and crossing-renewal
program, according to spokesperson Doniele Kane, who could not be reached by
phone but answered queries in an e-mail. Kane said the work in the Pittsburg
area is expected to be completed Sept. 23, and did not say how much it will
cost.



"We hoped to be done in
two weeks," said Pittsburg Public Works Director Bill Beasley. "There’s
probably another week’s worth of work to do."



Beasley said the recent
spate of wet weather has affected the crew’s work schedules significantly
because they need the ground to be as dry as possible.



Once the work is
completed – the crossing on South Rouse near the Kansas Technology Center is
the last of the scheduled crossing repair projects – the 125-person "maintenance-of-way"
crew from Louisiana will continue working south into Missouri.



The repair program, Kane
continued, includes the replacement of crossties and road crossing surfaces, as
well as ballast renewal. Kane said KCS routinely maintains its tracks, but that
renewal programs of this extent take place every five to seven years. The work
is time consuming, she said, and can’t be avoided. Some crossings must be
temporarily closed, she continued, while crews replace the wooden crossties and
asphalt, as well as timber or concrete panels – the crossing surface.



The crossings, Beasley
added, need to be addressed every five years.



"They sink a little bit
and give way," he said.



Train schedules are also
adjusted to allow work windows for this maintenance to be performed.


Just because the work is
necessary doesn’t mean it isn’t a hassle. Beasley said the city must coordinate
with the railroad to set detour routes, which can change daily.



"It’s been an effort on
our part to have to do that," Beasley said.



Beasley said he’s not
indicting KCSR, and he acknowledged the crossings were becoming rough.



"One of the things we’re
pleased about is that they’re completing the crossings, but the other stuff we
weren’t aware they were going to do," he said, adding that he understands the
railroad has to close the roads while crews tear up tracks and add new planking
and asphalt.

The work is further
delayed when trains are running. The railroad, Kane said, tries to alter its
train schedules as much as it can. But if there’s a lot of rail traffic, the
crews will have to wait.



"It’s a big project on
their part," Beasley said. "We’re very pleased they’re doing it, but it’s just
taking a long time."

Tags: