MONROE - The City of Monroe Public Safety Committee is recommending the city get on board with Badger State Ethanol in requesting the railroad crossings barrier gates on Wisconsin 69 in Monroe not be replaced.
The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Railroads determined in early September that barrier gates at four railroad crossings in the state had to be replaced with conventional, break-away gates for the good of public safety. The other three barrier gate crossings are in Dane County.
But Badger State Ethanol Board Chairman Nate Klassy advised the Public Safety Committee that the crossing in Monroe has dangers that are not present in Madison.
According to Klassy, as many as 10 rail cars at a time, filled with ethanol, cross the Monroe highway during early morning hours, when snow removal is at a minimum. Also, the speed limit on the highway is 35 miles per hour, while in Madison the speed is limited to 25 mph.
The area is close to houses and mobile homes, he added.
Leaving the barrier gates in place is "the best way to prevent a catastrophe," Klassy said.
A barrier gate arm "locks" in place when in the full down position, allowing the gate to become a barrier capable of stopping a motor vehicle from breaking through the arm and impacting the train passing through the grade crossing. Cables incorporated into the gate arm help "catch" a motor vehicle.
The barrier gates are designed to stop a pickup at 45 mph, according to Al Gerber, city engineer supervisor.
Conventional gates can break away in a motor vehicle crash. Barrier gates are installed to prevent an impact of motor vehicles and trains; conventional signals are meant to act as a warning.
Klassy recommended the city try to keep the barrier gates, "until the (railroad) cars are designed to be more accident resistant."
In a petition to the OCR in January, the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad LLC requested the gate changes, saying a roadway is completely closed to traffic when the barrier gates fail in the down position or are struck by motor vehicles. Unlike conventional gates, they cannot be manually raised by law enforcement personnel before the signal maintainer fixes the problem. Barrier gates sometimes fail in the upright position also. Snow must be kept away from counterweights for them to function properly. There is no permanent method for a gate heater to keep frost off contacts, which can cause the barrier gates to malfunction, the railroad company added.
WSOR noted additional labor, equipment and costs to maintain barrier gates and the problems with limited availability, transportation and storage of spare parts.
WSOR was given until Dec. 31, 2017, to replace the gates.
The Monroe crossing at Wis. 69 consists of two traffic lanes in each direction divided by a raised median. The crossing warning devices currently consist of cantilevered 12-inch LED, mast-mounted, automatic flashing lights behind the outside curb, with barrier gates in the median for both the northbound and southbound approaches.
The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Railroads determined in early September that barrier gates at four railroad crossings in the state had to be replaced with conventional, break-away gates for the good of public safety. The other three barrier gate crossings are in Dane County.
But Badger State Ethanol Board Chairman Nate Klassy advised the Public Safety Committee that the crossing in Monroe has dangers that are not present in Madison.
According to Klassy, as many as 10 rail cars at a time, filled with ethanol, cross the Monroe highway during early morning hours, when snow removal is at a minimum. Also, the speed limit on the highway is 35 miles per hour, while in Madison the speed is limited to 25 mph.
The area is close to houses and mobile homes, he added.
Leaving the barrier gates in place is "the best way to prevent a catastrophe," Klassy said.
A barrier gate arm "locks" in place when in the full down position, allowing the gate to become a barrier capable of stopping a motor vehicle from breaking through the arm and impacting the train passing through the grade crossing. Cables incorporated into the gate arm help "catch" a motor vehicle.
The barrier gates are designed to stop a pickup at 45 mph, according to Al Gerber, city engineer supervisor.
Conventional gates can break away in a motor vehicle crash. Barrier gates are installed to prevent an impact of motor vehicles and trains; conventional signals are meant to act as a warning.
Klassy recommended the city try to keep the barrier gates, "until the (railroad) cars are designed to be more accident resistant."
In a petition to the OCR in January, the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad LLC requested the gate changes, saying a roadway is completely closed to traffic when the barrier gates fail in the down position or are struck by motor vehicles. Unlike conventional gates, they cannot be manually raised by law enforcement personnel before the signal maintainer fixes the problem. Barrier gates sometimes fail in the upright position also. Snow must be kept away from counterweights for them to function properly. There is no permanent method for a gate heater to keep frost off contacts, which can cause the barrier gates to malfunction, the railroad company added.
WSOR noted additional labor, equipment and costs to maintain barrier gates and the problems with limited availability, transportation and storage of spare parts.
WSOR was given until Dec. 31, 2017, to replace the gates.
The Monroe crossing at Wis. 69 consists of two traffic lanes in each direction divided by a raised median. The crossing warning devices currently consist of cantilevered 12-inch LED, mast-mounted, automatic flashing lights behind the outside curb, with barrier gates in the median for both the northbound and southbound approaches.