Rough rail crossing in Jackson to get a makeover

Federal funds have been allocated to repair a problematic railroad crossing at U.S. 61 and Highway 25 in Jackson sometime early next year.

The crossing is one of Jackson's most-maligned intersections, and Mayor Dwain Hahs said the project should please residents.

"From my perspective, you get complaints from citizens on a regular basis about this [intersection], which is good," he said. "It's probably the number one complaint that I receive, people wanting to know what's going to be done at that intersection."

Public works director Rodney Bollinger said the project, estimated to cost $250,000, is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

The FHWA recently obligated the funds for the project, and the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway selected an engineering consultant for the design, Bollinger said. Once that design is completed, the Missouri Department of Transportation will review it.

Motorists, including a Jackson Fire Department engine, travel across the railroad tracks Sunday at the intersection of West Jackson Boulevard and Highway 25 in Jackson. (Laura Simon)

"Once approved, it is up to the railroad to put the contract out for bids and to construct the new crossing," Bollinger said.

The city does not have jurisdiction over the crossing, he said. The project was initiated by MoDOT and the railroad.

"MoDOT is the agency responsible for the right-of-way and roadway infrastructure in all four directions of this intersection, and the [railroad] actually owns the strip of land that cuts through the intersection upon which the tracks are located," Bollinger said. "Both MoDOT and the railroad went to the FHWA seeking funding for the repairs, [but] the city is not a party to that contract agreement."

Jordan Friedrich, who has lived in Jackson his whole life, said repairing the crossing seemed like a good idea.

He said maintenance such as the proposed repairs are just "part of having a train in your town, and the train is a good thing to have in our community, so that'll be good."

Hahs said the intersection's rough finish represents not only an inconvenience, but a growing and substantive safety concern.

"It is bumpy, and at a certain point, we feel it could even become dangerous," he said, pointing to motorcyclists as a group of motorists especially susceptible to hazardous roadways. "In general, we're looking forward to having it fixed, and we're confident it can be fixed."

Bollinger said finishing the crossing's repairs is a priority, because construction on the roundabout uptown will begin later the same year.

"We all understand how critical it is the repairs be completed sometime prior to the start of the roundabout construction at the Main Street and Hope Street intersection next summer," he said. "We cannot afford to have both projects underway with lane closures and detours at the same time."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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