On June 12, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved safety upgrades at two rail crossings in Crawford and Sandusky counties.

Chicago, Ft. Wayne, & Eastern Railroad (CFE) will install flashing lights and gates at the T.R. 149/Albright Road grade crossing in Whetstone Township by June 12, 2025. Federal funds will pay $367,506 to complete the upgrades.

Norfolk Southern Railway (NSR) will install flashing lights and gates at the T.R. 305/Slaughterhouse Road grade crossing in York Township by June 12, 2025. The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) authorized federal funding to complete the upgrades. NSR will submit site plans and cost estimates for the project to the commission’s railroad division and ORDC by Sept. 10, 2024.

To increase public safety during the construction of the project, local government may seek funding from the PUCO for the cost of safety improvements such as rumble strips, illumination, improved signage, or other enhancements at the project location. Funding for such improvements comes from the State Grade Crossing Safety Fund and may not exceed $5,000 per project.

The PUCO is responsible for evaluating Ohio’s public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the PUCO began implementing these evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased significantly from 356 in 1990 to 61 in 2022.

The Ohio Rail Hotline at 866-814-RAIL (7245) provides Ohioans with a toll-free resource for all railroad crossing questions. For more information regarding these crossings, access the Ohio railroad information system website at gradecrossings.puco.ohio.gov.

A copy of the June 12 commission order with a list of crossings receiving upgrades is available on the PUCO’s website at www.PUCO.ohio.gov. Click on the link to Docketing Information System and enter the case numbers 24-583-RR-FED and 24-568-RR-FED.

Submitted by the Ohio Public Utilities Commission.