BUENA PARK : 3 Railroad Crossings to Undergo Repair

Three Artesia Boulevard railroad crossings that residents say have been menacing the undercarriages of their cars for years are about to be rehabilitated.

Southern Pacific Lines next month will begin hauling in asphalt and rubber pads to level off the crossings, which have been a source of motorist complaints to the City Council.

“Those of us who have been on [the council] for a long time are very thankful,” Councilman Arthur C. Brown said Monday. “Constantly, over the years, we’ve had people call us. We’ve even had a few people try to get us to pay for damage to their suspension systems.”

A solution to the problem has been delayed for eight years as negotiations continued with the city of La Mirada, which shares the rail line with Buena Park, and Southern Pacific.

Under an agreement reached in July, La Mirada and Buena Park will split the $160,000 tab for materials, and Southern Pacific will provide the labor, said Loren Tuthill, acting public works director for Buena Park.

“The whole thing was difficult,” Tuthill said.

Although railroad workers will leave a lane open for motorists to cross the tracks, traffic congestion will be inevitable during September as the repairs are made, according to a city report on the project.