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Road work on Conrail's Market Street railroad crossing will take longer than planned because of unexpected problems, Warsaw Mayor Jeff Plank said Friday.
Plank told the Warsaw Board of Works that Conrail workers discovered that the rails between Market and Center streets had shifted away from each other so much that there was a risk a train would fall between the tracks. Conrail's need to replace about 200 feet of rail made the repair project take longer than expected, Plank said.
Further complicating driving routes in downtown Warsaw will be Norfolk & Southern's work on the east-west railroad tracks that run through town. That work is scheduled to begin next week.
The downtown block of Center Street being renovated is proceeding as expected, said Warsaw public works superintendent Kim Leake. Conduits for lighting are being installed, as are curbs and sidewalks.
Leake said he hopes to put down base asphalt in two to three weeks. In the meantime, Plank said, the city's biggest concern is businesses near the construction area, especially those at the intersection of Center and Detroit, that may be losing customers.
The Board of Works was notified of a grant of more than $28,000 from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for the Beaman Home. The money would be used to hire a full-time outreach advocate.
The Warsaw Police Department received permission from the board to apply for a grant of up to $150,000 for technological improvements. The funds would be used to help buy hardware and software for computer equipment in squad cars that would connect the officers directly to law enforcement data bases.
The Warsaw Board of Works meets at 8:30 a.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month in city council chambers.
