Officials Stress Need To Increase Railroad Safety
The Roosevelt County Commissioners and Culbertson School officials are committed to making railroad crossings in the county as safe as possible.
During last week’s commissioners’ meeting, Commissioner Gordon Oelkers said that the only two railroad crossings in the county without arms and lights are on County Road 1018 and in Bainville’s city limits.
“Those are what we have left, that I know of,” Oelkers sid.
The crossing in Bainville has already been nominated for federal safety dollars. In his experience, Oelkers said the process can take up to two or three years. It seems like the process quickens when a fatality occurs.
“I’m saying let’s get both done before we have a death there,” Oelkers noted. “It’s a top priority for the county.”
Commissioner Robert Toavs stressed, “This is to prevent a tragedy before it happens.”
Culbertson Superintendent of Schools Nicole Simonsen recently submitted a letter to the Burlington Northern Railroad Company to request the installation of rail crossing arms at the crossing on County Road 1018.
Oelkers said the school deals with about eight families that use that route each school day.
Simonsen wrote, “These crossings occur during peak morning and afternoon hours when visibility conditions can vary due to weather, seasonal lighting changes and traffic patterns. The absence of crossing arms at this location creates a very concerning risk to our students’ safety.” Culbertson School officials wrote that adding crossing arms would provide: visual warning signs for approaching trains, physical barriers that prevent vehicles from crossing when trains are present, enhanced safety protocols for bus drivers and student passengers and peace of mind for parents and community members.
Simonsen writes to BNSF, “Our students’ safety cannot be compromised. We urge you to treat this request with the urgency it deserves and to begin the process of installing these critical safety measures immediately.”
