ORAN STILL WAITS FOR SIGNALS

ORAN -- More than a year after two people were killed at a railroad crossing here, warning lights and gates still haven't been installed.

Signals and gates are slated to be installed at Oran's Shelby Street crossing as part of the state's railroad safety program.

But it could be the summer of 1998 at the earliest before the signals and gates are installed and operating, said Rick Mooney, manager of railroad safety for Missouri's Division of Motor Carrier and Railroad Safety.

Mooney said administrative paperwork and government procedures add to the time it takes to get signals and gates installed.

The crossing is one of two in town without a warning signal or gate. The only warnings at those crossings are stop signs.

Missouri's Division of Motor Carrier and Railroad Safety wants to close the other crossing. But so far it remains open because of opposition from town officials and residents.

The crossing is used by farmers moving their farm equipment, said Glenda Owen, Oran's city clerk.

"We didn't want farm equipment to have to come through the center of town," she said.

A third crossing in town has signal lights but no gates.

Owen said improvements to the Shelby Street crossing have been delayed by paperwork because of the merger of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads.

But Mooney said the merger hasn't delayed the project yet, although that could happen in the future.

"The state was waiting for federal dollars to be available," he said. The Missouri Department of Transportation didn't receive the federal funds until March.

The railroad has four months to develop plans and estimates for the work, which then must be reviewed by the city and the state.

An administrative law judge would then review the project and issue an order giving the railroad a year to install the lights and gates, Mooney said.

Mayor Tom Urhahn said the city shouldn't have to wait for another year to get the work done.

"That is totally ridiculous," he said.

The city closed Shelby Street at the grade crossing last fall so it could make improvements to the street in preparation for the installation of signals and gates.

The city widened the approach and straightened the curve as part of the improvements.

That work was completed in April, Urhahn said. All that remains to be done is to blacktop the road. But that can't be done until the railroad installs the crossing gates and lights, he said.

In all, the city is spending about $20,000 on the street work.

Owen said the town is waiting for the railroad to install the warning and safety devices. The state is paying for the equipment.

"We are ready to get it completed," said Owen.

Urhahn said it would be a major inconvenience for Oran residents if the street remains closed for another year.

But Oran resident Elaine McGranahan said at least the closing keeps motorists away from a dangerous railroad crossing.

Six people have died from accidents at the Shelby Street crossing in the last 40 years. Three of the fatalities occurred within the past three years.

McGranahan's mother was one of two people killed in a train-car collision at the crossing on March 8, 1996.

Elaine McGranahan said the city has ignored the safety problem for years.

The city, she said, should have taken steps years ago to have signals and lights installed at the crossing.

McGranahan thinks that if that had been done, her mother would still be alive today.

"It was just a bad crossing. There were a lot of near misses," she said.

There was poor visibility at the crossing. Motorists almost had to be on top of the crossing on the narrow street before they could see an oncoming train, she said.

Two years ago, the state and the railroad wanted to install signals and lights at the Shelby Street crossing and upgrade the lights and add gates at the crossing in the center of town. But as part of the project, they wanted to close the unprotected crossing at the south end of town.

City officials opposed closing the crossing, which killed the project, McGranahan and state officials said.

But Urhahn said residents on the town's south side and city officials didn't want the crossing closed because it would have been inconvenient for motorists.

It also would have added to the response time for firefighters, who would no longer have as direct a route through parts of town, he said.

Urhahn said the crossing doesn't have a history of deadly accidents like the Shelby Street crossing, so it doesn't make sense to close it.

"People don't want any crossings closed," he said. "They just want them upgraded."

McGranahan said city officials talk about safety but have shown little interest in addressing the problem.

"How many people are going to die before they do something?" she asked.