Posted: Monday, July 14, 2008 12:00 am
We'd like to see more compelling evidence from the Oregon Department of Transportation before the state moves ahead with plans to close two railroad crossings near downtown Corvallis.
Frankly, at this point, the case for closure seems weak.
ODOT's Rail Division has issued a proposed order to close the crossings at Seventh Street near Western Avenue and another at the south end of 11th Street. The reasons it gives are visibility problems and the threat of accidents.
The order from ODOT cites eight collisions at the Seventh Street crossing in the past, um, 40 years. At 11th Street, ODOT reports two collisions in 10 years. It recommends that traffic use the crossing at 15th Street, which has had two crashes with trains in seven years.
We drive by that area of Corvallis just about every day. In particular, we drive over the Seventh Street crossing a couple of times every workday. As railroad crossings go, it's not exactly a triumph of elegant traffic engineering.
On the other hand, it also seems to us that a driver would have to work uncommonly hard to get into a wreck with a train at that crossing in particular - although, to be honest, we continue to be amazed at the myriad of ways in which drivers get themselves in trouble. But anyone driving with even a modicum of sense isn't going to have trouble with either crossing.
And, in fact, the number of accidents at the crossings - the average at both is one every five years - would seem to suggest that these two cannot be at the top of ODOT's most-dangerous list. (The intersection ODOT suggests using for the crossing, at 15th Street, actually has had a higher accident rate - one accident every three-and-a-half years.)
Closing the crossings also would be a big blow for businesses in the area, in particular Denson Feed & Seed, which sits just north of the railroad on Seventh Street.
State law grants ODOT the authority to close street-level railroad crossings without a public process when they're ruled unsafe. However, the city can collect public comment and then appeal the matter to an administrative law judge. The City Council has scheduled a public discussion of this for its July 21 evening meeting. The Portland
& Western railroad also may appeal the closures.
We hope both the city and the railroad aggressively pursue those appeals. On the face of it, this is an idea that needs to be derailed.