SANTA PAULA : City Again Pushes for Railroad Repairs

Santa Paula wants hazardous railroad crossings inside the city fixed and plans to send a second set of letters to Southern Pacific railroad and the California Utilities Commission demanding that the repairs be made, city staff said Friday.

The City Council is scheduled to consider the issue Tuesday.

Fourteen of the 15 railroad crossings within the city limits have observable deficiencies, 11 provide motorists with a poor ride and four were found unsafe for motorists, Mayor Kay Wilson said. Pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists fight potholes, pavement that stands as high as three inches above the rails and rotten timber planking, she said.

“Handicapped pedestrians may find it nearly impossible to cross at some locations,” Wilson said.

In June, 1989, the city offered to buy supplies for rubber crossings, according to Norman S. Wilkinson, public works director. The railroad, which insists on doing the work itself to ensure that it does not run into any legal problems, replied it did not have any work crews available, Wilkinson said. Since then, nothing has been done, he said.

The city offered to provide materials to upgrade several of the crossings, and the offer still stands, he said.

The line is used by about five trains a week, primarily for lumber, and extends from Ventura to Piru.

“It is a short route, but I still feel they have a responsibility to maintain the crossings in a safe manner,” Wilkinson added.

James Loveland, spokesman for Southern Pacific, said it was an unfortunate situation. “The company has undergone extensive personnel changes recently and it looks like Santa Paula just slipped through the cracks.”

According to Jeff Palmer, staff engineer for the city of Santa Paula, the City Council hopes for a better response to a second letter to the railroad, which will be addressed to the president of the company, as well as a plea for support from the Public Utilities Commission. “We hope these letters will get us scheduled for maintenance or perhaps authorize us to do the maintenance,” Palmer said.