Safety upgrades slated for 21 railroad crossings

7/2/2004

COLUMBUS - Twenty-one rail-highway grade crossings along a rail corridor in Hancock, Putnam, Seneca, Sandusky, and Erie counties will get flashing lights and roadway gates by next year, officials said.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ordered Norfolk Southern Railway to make the upgrades.

The crossings are divided into three groups with different completion deadlines.

Seven of the first crossings to be completed by March 31 are in Hancock County, with additional ones in Putnam and Seneca counties. A construction deadline of June 30 is set for more crossings in Seneca, Sandusky, and Erie counties, with the last stretch of upgrades - all three of which are in Erie County - planned for Sept. 30.