Railroad Crossing

Denial of a railroad crossing for Farm Woods Lane is only a temporary derailment of the developer's plans to expand the North Carroll Farms development."

More than 150 Elkridge residents packed a school meeting room last night, mainly to oppose the closing of Hanover Road at a railroad crossing west of the border of Howard and Anne Arundel counties - but not everyone agreed. The closing was intended to make the 18th-century community's twisting, bumpy main street safer, and several residents maintained that the goal must be reached, whatever the means. "I feel a need for it to be safer, and if closing it will make it safer, then we should do that," said Christine O'Connor, a Hanover Road resident and mother of three young children.

The problem: A railroad crossing near M&T Bank Stadium has been closed to traffic. The back story: Occasionally, Watchdog encounters a problem resulting from a solution proposed as an answer to an entirely different problem. Take, for example, this week's quandary. Richard Jordan works in a machine shop near the intersection of Ridgely Street and West Ostend Street, near the parking lots for M&T Bank Stadium and the elevated portion of Russell Street. For about a month and a half, Jordan, who commutes from Catonsville, said he has had to go at least 10 minutes out of his way because the railroad crossing on Ridgely Street between West Ostend and Alluvion streets has been closed.

Motorists complaining about a bumpy railroad crossing in downtown Westminster should find smoother driving this year -- on concrete "tubs" that have been used in the West for years.The work at the crossing on Railroad Avenue, just east of Main Street, will be done by Maryland Midland Railway Co. Inc. of Union Bridge.The job probably will be done in late summer or early fall, and could be finished in a weekend."They're going to tear out what's there, and it will be all new stuff: precast concrete panels," said Robert J. Herstein, the State Highway Administration's team leader of statewide studies -- a sort of catchall department that includes railroad crossings.

CSX Transportation Inc. officials say Hampstead must close three at-grade railroad crossings to receive approval for one crossing that would service a new section of the North Carroll Farms development.But Martin K. P. Hill, North Carroll Farms' developer, said yesterday the decision is unfair."There is a proposal to close two and to limit access to a third and that's what they're saying doesn't meet their requirements," Mr. Hill said.The plan, offered by Mr. Hill and town officials, would close two private railway crossings and barricade Greenmount Church Road from the east, allowing access to Greenmount United Methodist Cemetery and one residence across the tracks.

WASHINGTON -- Train collisions with motor vehicles at grade crossings take a far greater toll than high-profile train accidents such as the recent Silver Spring crash that killed 11 people, Congress was told yesterday.Eight people have died in highway rail grade crossing accidents "in the last 48 hours," said Jean Molitoris, head of the Federal Railroad Administration.Testifying before a House subcommittee looking into rail safety, Ms. Molitoris said that "every 90 minutes, there is a collision" at a rail crossing.

CSX Railroad is to begin maintenance work on the crossing at Montevideo Road in Jessup on or about Friday, weather permitting. The project is expected to be completed by July 9. While the road is closed, traffic will be detoured both ways via U.S. 1 to Route 175 in Howard County and Wigley Avenue in Anne Arundel County. CSX will post signs before any road closing. Should the project be delayed, signs will be posted to alert motorists. Information: Valerie Robinson, 410-313-3440. Military Decorated -- Air Force Staff Sgt. Rebecca L. Currier, a 1998 graduate of St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, has been decorated with the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the fifth highest peacetime defense award authorized by the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

CORTLANDT, N.Y. - For decades, anglers along the Hudson River have been drawn to the wrong side of the tracks - the side with the water on it. They've risked fines and arrest for unlawfully crossing the railroad tracks, just to get to the best fishing spots.But John Cronin has taken steps to change that.Giving the Metro-North Commuter Railroad fair warning, he had planned to cross the tracks to go fishing. His goal: to get attention for being arrested, so he could challenge the railroad's right to block access to the river.

The railroad crossing on Taneytown's main thoroughfare, East Baltimore Street, will be closed for construction from 7 p.m. tomorrow to noon Monday.The State Highway Administration and Maryland Midland Railway Co. timed the project to reduce its impact on weekday commuters and on tractor-trailer traffic that uses the street daily. Route 140, known as Baltimore Street in Taneytown, is the heavily traveled link between major routes to Frederick, Gettysburg, Pa., and Baltimore.A detour route that will be in effect during the construction is designed primarily for heavy trucks that side streets in Taneytown cannot handle, said highway administration traffic engineer Donald Distance.

MONDAY night's fatal Amtrak train derailment underlines the importance of ensuring that all at-grade crossings are equipped with up-to-date safety and warning devices. As federal investigators examine the causes of the train-truck crash, in which more than a dozen people were killed, they must also focus on the adequacy of railroad warning signals throughout the country.Fortunately, this is not a problem on the Washington-New York line, where high-speed service will begin late this year. The route has no at-grade crossings, though Amtrak must make safety improvements on 13 such crossings between New Haven, Conn.