Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
CLAYPOOL - Town board members will meet Thursday with Conrail community relations manager Mike Scime regarding railroad crossings.
The railroad wishes to re-evaluate the status of some crossings in town. There are four crossings running north and south and five going east and west.
"For a town of Claypool's size," Scime said, "that is a lot of crossings. Maybe if traffic has to go one more block the crossings will be safer. The meeting is to see what Claypool really needs."
And it is an opportunity for residents to give input regarding the crossings. Indiana has one of the highest rates of railroad crossing accidents mainly because, Scime said, of the number of tracks running through Indiana and areas of heavier traffic.
"Indiana is known as the Crossroads of America because of the railroads," Scime said. "Every train running from the east coast to Chicago or St. Louis runs through this state."
The railroad company plans to install lights and gates at certain crossings. This is no guarantee of safety, however. Sixty percent of railroad crossing accidents occur when the lights are flashing and the gate is down.
"People figure they can beat the train," he said. "Sometimes they do not."
The closing of a railroad crossing occurs at the state and local level. The railroad company can request closings but not order them.
The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Lion's Club building.
