$186,000 Allocated to Fix Railroad Crossings
Relief is in sight for drivers who have long endured axle-grinding trips over pothole-strewn railroad crossings throughout the San Fernando Valley.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has set aside $186,000 to repair dilapidated railroad crossings and put in rubberized crossing covers at several dozen locations.
The money will allow the city to smooth over ruts at most of the crossings that need to be fixed. The MTA announced its decision at a meeting last month.
Motorists have complained that they have damaged their cars driving over the crinkled crossings, twisting axles and throwing the alignment out of whack.
Bicyclists have suffered minor injuries and gotten their tires stuck as they tried to ford the deep fissures between the tracks and asphalt.
The worst railroad crossings have been those along De Soto and Canoga avenues, Roscoe Boulevard, and Nordhoff and Parthenia streets, according to Francine Oschin, deputy chief of staff to Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson.
Bernson, along with Councilwoman Laura Chick, pushed for the funding.
Work to install the crossing covers, which have been used in Ventura County, is expected to begin in December.
The money will also pay for fences to keep people off the tracks.
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