Crumbling crossings impossible to cross

by DALE SHEFFIELD

Enterprise reporter

Two or three times a day, Joanne Radway has to suffer the consequences of broken-down sidewalks as she attempts to cross the railroad tracks in her motorized scooter to come into town.

Radway lives just west of the tracks on West Herrick Avenue. She said on the south side of the road, there is a four-inch gap of missing asphalt in the sidewalk over the tracks. On the north side, the asphalt is broken down in such a way that it is completely impassable. Often, Radway will go into the street rather than risk the dangers of the deteriorated sidewalk, but then she has to deal with heavy traffic and curbs that are difficult to navigate in her scooter. She said the crossings at Rt. 58, Magyar Street, and Barker Street all present similar problems.

Radway said she has been contacting both the village public works department and the railroad company at least once a week since April to express her concerns, but has not seen any response.

Village administrator Steve Pyles said he first became aware of the problem about a month ago when an incident occurred at the Barker Street crossing. A woman attempting to cross the railroad tracks in her wheelchair became trapped between the rail and the pavement. A passerby rescued her and called the fire department.

After this incident, Pyles called the CSX Safety Hotline to report the problem. He said his report has been acknowledged and repairs have been scheduled for sometime this summer. CSX representative Garrick Francis confirmed the repair request was received, but did not have an exact date when the work would be done.

According to a representative at the Justice Department's office for Americans with Disabilities, the lack of upkeep of the sidewalks crossing the railroad tracks could be a violation of Title II, which applies to the operations of state and local governments. However, according to Pyles, the upkeep of the railroads are the responsibility of CSX, not the village. Francis said the company checks the tracks and crossing area frequently.