Temporary railroad flood crossings to remain in place in Davenport, Iowa, until 2020
Written by RT&S Staff
Rail worker unions want more to be done to protect rail workers during the pandemic.
Canadian Pacific
The temporary at-grade crossings that have taken over downtown Davenport, Iowa, will be extending their stay.
According to city officials, a permanent solution will not be applied until Spring 2020. During flood events in March, Canadian Pacific raised its tracks in Davenport to protect the rails from Mississippi River water and to keep freight moving. The decision came without any advance notice, but according to Canadian Pacific the move was necessary.
Now a group of city staff, elected officials and riverfront commissioners are mulling over a permanent fix for its at-grade crossings, but the Department of Public Works says it’s too late to start construction.
Canadian Pacific hired a private firm to create a number of different options, and all but one have made it to the next phase that involves more detailed renderings. The plan failing to make the cut involves turning Gaines Street into a pedestrian-only crossing with Warren Street serving as the main vehicular crossing over the tracks. The option, which comes from the city, is an expensive one—$1.2 million—and will need input from Canadian Pacific. Davenport, however, may have to foot some of the bill. Canadian Pacific is taking care of the cost of the other at-grade crossings.
City officials have expressed a desire to build up the downtown area, and some have reservations about the designs meeting the long-term goal.
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