Beckley Street RR Crossing in North Manchester Will Close
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
NORTH MANCHESTER – The Beckley Street railroad crossing will be closed starting June 18, the town council heard Wednesday.
Norfolk Southern identified the crossing at the intersection of Beckley and West 4th streets as dangerous and recommended closing it last year. Council members approved the closure April 11, following a public hearing in February.
The Indiana Department of Transportation will offer North Manchester $50,000 in exchange for the closure, INDOT Railroad and Utilities Engineer Charles Carson said at the February hearing. Norfolk Southern is offering an additional $15,000, Company Manager of Grade Crossing Safety Derek Mason said.
INDOT will fund the closure and Norfolk Southern will oversee the actual work.
Also during the meeting, the council heard a preliminary engineering report for the latest phase of the state-ordered sewer long-term control plan. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management started the clock in 2008 and set an end date for 2028, Public Works Superintendent John Mugford noted.
In that time three projects have been completed and a fourth is in the works, at a cost so far of $3.8 million. The town is looking at several options for funding the next phase, and Mugford indicated a utility rate increase is likely.
“I don’t want to see a big rate increase, but our hands are tied,” he remarked. He added they’re past deadline on the latest phase and that he is corresponding with IDEM “to keep us out of the red tape.”
He also observed that low utility rates prevented the town from getting certain grants in the past.
Earlier in the meeting, the council awarded a trash pickup contract to Wabash Valley Refuse Removal, at a cost of $201,000 plus $47,540 for curbside pickup. Council President Chris Garber recommended Wabash Valley, whose bid came in lower than those of Earth First Services and Veolia Environmental Services.
