Rail Crossings May Become Smoother
After years of complaints from residents about bone-rattling railroad crossings, Southern Pacific Transportation Co. has agreed to rubberize three crossings if the city pays for the materials, city officials said.
“The ridability is murder,” said City Engineer Bob Eichblatt, describing the plank-and-asphalt crossings at McFadden, Edinger and Heil avenues.
The thick rubber mats used in rubberized crossings provide a much smoother ride and can last up to 20 years, he said. Only one Southern Pacific freight train passes through the city each day.
The City Council is scheduled to decide Monday whether to spend about $180,000--$60,000 per crossing--from its Measure M sales tax money to smooth over the three crossings.
Eichblatt said city staffers have tried for years to get Southern Pacific to fix the crossings.
A few days ago, however, Southern Pacific officials told the city that the company was planning to rehabilitate the crossings in the next few months and would install the rubber mats if the city bought them.
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