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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
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Plans for crossing fix chug ahead CROW WING COUNTY BOARD Senior Reporter Hold on to your shocks, plans to fix the rough railroad crossing at Southeast 13th Street near the Northern Pacific Center are chugging ahead.
Crow Wing County Highway Engineer Duane Blanck Tuesday told county commissioners the way was cleared to fix the crossing after negotiations for the county's cost left the issue at a standstill.
BNSF Railway wanted the county to pay for half of the cost to fix the crossing, Blanck said. That bill was $66,609. The county balked. Signs went up warning motorists about the bumpy crossing.
Blanck said the railway fixed another crossing in the city of Brainerd at no cost. The county offered to pay half of cost for the crossing surface material.
And after a spate of e-mails, Blanck reported the railway agreed. The county's bill is expected to be $6,336. The board agreed to proceed.
Blanck said that amount is a lot easier to handle than the first figure. Commissioner Dewey Tautges asked if agreeing to pay 50 percent was setting a potentially unwelcome precedent.
Blanck said he understood the concern, but Southeast 13th Street also is a high-volume county road. Commissioner Terry Sluss said the matter had become a public safety issue.
During the Crow Wing County Fair, which typically means heavy traffic along Southeast 13th Street, John Anderson warned motorists about the crossing. Anderson, who lived about three blocks away, donned an orange vest and stood at the crossing holding signs that warned motorists of the bad bump and urging authorities to fix the problem.
Now Blanck said BNSF said the project would be put into its work scheduled as soon as agreements were signed with the county.
Tuesday Anderson said he was glad to hear the crossing would be fixed and it gave him a little satisfaction that a voice from the community can be heard. Anderson said the condition has been dangerous as vehicles pass illegally on the right as others who know the bump is coming slow before the crossing.
"It's a real safety thing," Anderson said Tuesday. "Besides the fact that you ruin your car every time you go. I hope they can come up with something yet this year."
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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