Railroad crossing not looking so good to some residents

BNSF has invested some time and money on the Fairview Avenue crossing in Downers Grove, Ill.,, but some residents claim there has not been an improvement, according to the Downers Grove Reporter.

BNSF was called out to the
railroad crossing due to user complaints of a bumpy crossing and cracks in the
pavement. Some of the larger holes are located at the edge of the pavement
crossing.

In the beginning of June,
workers came out to address the crossing surface and asphalt between the rails
until a complete grade-crossing surface rehabilitation could be funded, BNSF
spokesperson Amy Mcbeth said. The Fairview Avenue crossing was closed for six
days for BNSF workers to remove the crossing surface, repair asphalt between
the rails and put the panels back.

"When we opened up the
grade crossing area, it was evident that a complete crossing rehabilitation was
going to be required soon," Mcbeth said. "But without having track panels
constructed and new crossing material on hand, the side had to be closed up and
placed back in service."

Resident Wes Upton said the
crossing has been bad for months and has yet to get any better even though BNSF
workers have been out to try and fix the problem.

"While watching the work
begin done it was noticed that the machine removing the rubber dividers or
tiles between the tracks was breaking them," Upton said. "While watching the
repairs continue, it was noticed that the workers were reinstalling the old
damage dividers."

Mcbeth said this past week,
crews replaced damaged rubber panels.

Mcbeth said at other
locations BNSF has been able to improve ride quality with interim repairs
similar to the Fairview Avenue repair job.

"That wasn’t the case here,"
Mcbeth said. "We’re moving onto a complete grade crossing rehabilitation that
should improve ride quality conditions."

Upton said while he has
seen BNSF workers visit the crossing multiple times, he is still waiting on an
improvement.

"We still have a bumpy
crossing which will probably get worse as the broken dividers settle," Upton
said.

The Village of Downers
Grove is aware of the problem at the Fairview Avenue crossing but since it was
a BNSF project, the village was not involved in planning or execution,
according to village spokesman Doug Kozlowski.

If incidents should occur,
BNSF should be contacted, Mcbeth said.

"The area is still as bumpy
as they were before," Upton said. "It is dangerous to pedestrians, dangerous to
cars and could be dangerous to train derailments."

Mcbeth said the crossing is
safe.

"The area is routinely
inspected and it meets safety requirements," Mcbeth said. "BNSF conducts track
inspections daily, seven days a week."

Mcbeth said BNSF has
identified funding for a complete reconstruction to the area and is working now
to compile materials needed.

"We’re aiming to begin the
complete rehab later this summer before school starts," Mcbeth said.

Work should last for about
nine days and before the complete rehabilitation begins, work is continuously
being done to improve the quality of the crossing now, Mcbeth said. The work
will be done around rush hours so trains can operate on schedule. The crossing
will be closed to vehicle traffic, Mcbeth said.