Car rides through Southside are much smoother following repairs at several railroad crossings in the area. For Columbus Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor, it is the end of a long process.
Taylor said the old crossings — decaying spots that could rattle windows and bounce passengers — were, for a long time, the source of much public ire.
In 2013, the city hosted a public hearing where Kansas City Southern railroad company officials proposed working with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to close six of the railroad crossings. Public pushback, focused around traffic concerns, scrapped the idea. Taylor told The Dispatch on Thursday he continued working with KCS, MDOT and other officials to resolve the matter.
In October, KCS announced it would repair railroad crossings in several communities, including Columbus, as part of a $7.5 million project. The project targeted KCS lines between Columbus and between West Point and Aberdeen.
The work was recently completed.
Taylor said KCS repaired 13 Southside crossings. There were at Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, 10th, 11th, 17th and 22nd streets. The company also fixed a crossing on Highway 69.
KCS spokeswoman Doniele Carlson said the company spent $200,000 on the work, which included 352 linear feet of crossings. She added that approximately 10 trains go through the crossings every day.
Taylor said the crossings were in such bad shape that some residents complained about damaged cars as a result of crossing them.
“They were in bad shape,” Taylor said. “We were getting several calls — bombarded with calls — concerning rims being torn up, tires being busted, front ends out of alignment. It was just an ongoing thing. And if you’re talking about $500,000 vehicles, such as firetrucks having to cross, that’s wear and tear on them also.”
Though it took time to get the ball rolling, Taylor said he’s thankful to KCS for taking care of the problem at no cost to the city.
Mayor Robert Smith also thanked KCS for their work. He said the investment into the city is already benefiting the often-traveled crossings.
“Hundreds of vehicles use these railroad crossings each day in Columbus and we are grateful for the work that Kansas City Southern has done to make these improvements,” Smith said in a release. “Private vehicles, along with our emergency response vehicles, already see the benefits of the work that has been done in Columbus. Kansas City Southern is a strong corporate neighbor to our city and this work is much appreciated.”
According to MDOT, 1,400 vehicles use the railroad crossing on 11th Street and about 12,000 vehicles use travel the stretch of Highway 69 near the railroad crossing. The figures are based on 2014, which is the last available year for such data.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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