#48(30) joins the whack-a-vehicle party :(

basketmaker · Nov 3, 2021

alpha3 said:
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Oh man, for sure! Funny, I lived a couple of blocks from that crossing in Miami Springs. Yea, they'd come chugging out of there, cross the trestle over the canal just barely starting to pickup speed, it used to make for horrible traffic backups on Okeechobee road before they lowered the roadway so it didn't matter anymore.

Used to get stuck at Red Road back and forth to work at the airport. This was back in the late 60's thru the 70's. Ex-girlfriend (Dr. Whaley's daughter) lived at Starling and Miami Springs Avenue.

George Harris · Nov 3, 2021

John819 said:
On the LIRR there was a grade crossing on the Ronkonkama line at Willis Avenue. There were multiple "interactions" between the trains and road vehicles, but nothing was done. Then a car with four teenagers got hit, all were killed, and one was, I believe, the daughter of some politician. Miraculously, an overpass was built within a year.

Unless you are exaggerating the shortness of the time, this overpass had to have already been in the pipeline. You can't get a design done and bid and any work even started in much less than a year even if it is a high up the chain politician's priority.

basketmaker said:
Similar situation when I lived on a CSX main just southeast of Nashville. Four teens late for school got hit and killed at a small 2-lane neighborhood crossing with just crossbucks. Lights and crossing gates were put up a couple weeks later. No room for an overpass without razing several long time homes. Even after the lights/gates there were two more "interactions" with injuries trying to beat the train that I remember.

Tennessee has a set of criteria to prioritize crossing signals and grade separations, that include traffic volumes both road and rail and speeds both road and rail. However, in case of signals and gates, a fatality puts a road crossing at the head of the list, and if not number one only because there is one already there under way, or if there are those in the same time frame with multiple fatalities. Therefore, in the case mentioned, this road crossing would go to the head of the list regardless of any real or imagined relation of the fatalities to politicians. However, if the time was only a couple weeks, it again suggest that this work was already in the pipeline unless the materials were mooched off those intended for another crossing already designed and materials ordered. By the way, southeast of Nashville suggests the main to Chattanooga & Atlanta ex L&N ex NC&StL line which is heavily trafficked, and least in the first 30 or so miles out of Nashville relatively straight and fast.

basketmaker · Nov 3, 2021

George Harris said:
Unless you are exaggerating the shortness of the time, this overpass had to have already been in the pipeline. You can't get a design done and bid and any work even started in much less than a year even if it is a high up the chain politician's priority.

Tennessee has a set of criteria to prioritize crossing signals and grade separations, that include traffic volumes both road and rail and speeds both road and rail. However, in case of signals and gates, a fatality puts a road crossing at the head of the list, and if not number one only because there is one already there under way, or if there are those in the same time frame with multiple fatalities. Therefore, in the case mentioned, this road crossing would go to the head of the list regardless of any real or imagined relation of the fatalities to politicians.

The one I mentioned I don't think any politician or uppity-muck was involved with the prompt upgrade. But as you said the crossing was put at the top of list.

AmtrakBlue · Nov 4, 2021

basketmaker said:
The one I mentioned I don't think any politician or uppity-muck was involved with the prompt upgrade. But as you said the crossing was put at the top of list.

Big difference between adding lights & gates and building an overpass.

John819 · Nov 4, 2021

George Harris said:
Unless you are exaggerating the shortness of the time, this overpass had to have already been in the pipeline. You can't get a design done and bid and any work even started in much less than a year even if it is a high up the chain politician's priority.

Tennessee has a set of criteria to prioritize crossing signals and grade separations, that include traffic volumes both road and rail and speeds both road and rail. However, in case of signals and gates, a fatality puts a road crossing at the head of the list, and if not number one only because there is one already there under way, or if there are those in the same time frame with multiple fatalities. Therefore, in the case mentioned, this road crossing would go to the head of the list regardless of any real or imagined relation of the fatalities to politicians. However, if the time was only a couple weeks, it again suggest that this work was already in the pipeline unless the materials were mooched off those intended for another crossing already designed and materials ordered. By the way, southeast of Nashville suggests the main to Chattanooga & Atlanta ex L&N ex NC&StL line which is heavily trafficked, and least in the first 30 or so miles out of Nashville relatively straight and fast.

The Willis Avenue overpass had been planned but was held up by the NIMBY business owners whose vehicle access would be restricted.