ORANGE : Repairs to Be Made at Railroad Crossings

After years of motorists’ complaints about blown tires and busted suspension systems, Southern Pacific Railroad Co. has agreed to fix railroad crossings in the city, starting today on Glassell Street. At least city officials hope so.

“I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude,” said city engineer Gary Johnson of the long-awaited promise to repair the crossings.

Motorists should nonetheless be prepared for the closing of Glassell between Katella and Taft avenues from this morning until sometime Friday. Workers will keep access open to local businesses, but drivers should not expect to use Glassell as a through street during that time, Johnson said.

Southern Pacific should eventually replace the ties and exposed spikes that have blown tires and damaged suspension systems for years at seven sites in the city, Johnson said. Rail officials could not be reached for comment.

The work is part of an agreement reached six months ago after city officials filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission about the state of the company’s rails. At that time, the railroad had said it would do the work as soon as possible but only recently announced a date.

By the time all crossing sites--including those on Main and Katella--are repaired, the city will have contributed about $200,000 worth of materials to the effort as part of the agreement, Johnson said.