Special to 1812Blockhouse, 1812Blockhouse
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved safety upgrades at rail crossings in Ashland and Richland counties.
Ashland Railway will install flashing lights and gates at the Ashland Railway Grade Crossing at County Road 1356 and County Road 1475 in Ashland County, Ohio. Federal funds will provide up to $381,088 to complete the upgrades.
Ashland Railway will install flashing lights and gates at State Route 61 in Richland County. Federal funds will pay $229,510 to complete the upgrades.
All safety upgrades will be completed by August 16 of next year.
To increase public safety during the construction of the projects, local governments may seek funding from the PUCO for the cost of safety improvements such as rumble strips, illumination, improved signage or other enhancements at project locations. Funding for such improvements comes from the State Grade Crossing Safety fund and may not exceed $5,000 per project.
The PUCO is responsible for evaluating Ohio’s public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the PUCO began implementing these evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased significantly, from 356 in 1990 to 53 in 2021.
The Ohio Rail Hotline, at (866) 814-RAIL (7245), provides Ohioans with a toll-free resource for all railroad crossing questions. For more information regarding these crossings, access the Ohio railroad information system website at gradecrossings.puco.ohio.gov.
