Discussion but no immediate solution Wednesday in conference about levee railroad crossing fencing

A field conference Wednesday at the site of unpopular fencing around a railroad crossing atop the Wyoming Valley Levee in Edwardsville yielded discussion but no immediate resolution.

Norfolk Southern owns the land containing the train track. The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the levee, had to add fencing to obtain Norfolk Southern’s permission to install a gate system so nearly 1,600 sandbags would not be needed at the crossing when the Susquehanna River rises.

But since the fencing was installed in April 2023, vandals have cut and pulled back the fencing barricade, allowing the public to continue traveling through the crossing on the recreational path. Most recently, locks were damaged to open the gates on both sides, authority representatives discovered Wednesday.

The state Public Utility Commission scheduled Wednesday’s conference in response to the authority’s April application seeking to make the Edwardsville levee railroad crossing public and identify a solution that could eliminate the fencing.

Several bicyclists approached the fencing during the conference, frustrated they could not pass through, eventually prompting authority representatives to fidget with the locks to shut the gates again. Someone in the group also pointed to a fencing gap big enough for someone to pass underneath.

“Obviously what we have here is not working,” Jay Delaney, an authority board member and Wilkes-Barre’s fire chief, told the group.

“It’s not working, and it’s a maintenance nightmare for the Flood Protection Authority,” added authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman.

The conference was conducted by Andrew Reed, a civil engineer consultant with PUC’s rail safety section.

Reed said the gathering was an attempt to reach a consensus so he does not have to refer the matter to a hearing, which would take months and require legal counsel. If the authority and rail operator agree on a plan, Reed said he would issue a letter outlining the changes, the cost and who will maintain them.

Jeremy Shoemaker, Norfolk Southern’s regional executive director for government relations, listened to the authority’s input but repeatedly stressed the rail operator was not prepared to agree on anything Wednesday.

Shoemaker said Norfolk Southern won’t get into discussions about removing the fencing or other options until the rail operator first determines whether it is comfortable establishing the site as a public crossing in the first place.

The PUC will await Norfolk Southern’s determination, Reed said. If its answer is no to a public crossing, the authority can appeal, which will require a PUC hearing, he said. Another field visit likely would be held at the site to discuss proposals if Norfolk Southern accepts a public crossing designation, he said.

Authority officials have argued the Edwardsville site meets the parameters of a public crossing because it passes through a publicly-owned levee used by pedestrians and bicyclists.

Authority Board Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi said the preferred alteration would be fencing removal and the use of signs and pavement markings to alert levee users of the potential for trains.

The authority would need grant funding to cover the next level of safety measures involving a device that would light up and sound a warning when a train is approaching, he said.

The estimated cost to remove the existing fencing and install a warning device and signs is $250,000, the authority’s PUC application said. Funding for the project would be programmed through a federal or state recreation grant supplemented by authority funds, it said.

Yannuzzi noted there have been no incidents of levee users hit by trains at the crossing, and it was verified that the trains pass over the levee at 25 mph.

Reed said flashing lights must be inspected monthly in addition to an annual in-depth inspection, which means the yearly maintenance cost can reach approximately $10,000 annually.

Norfolk Southern Attorney Benjamin Dunlap said the authority would have to pay the rail operator set costs with inflation adjustments to maintain safety features involving electronics.

Yannuzzi emphasized a fee paid by those protected by the levee must be used for the flood-control system’s maintenance and operation and cannot be spent on recreational components. In addition to the possibility of grants for the crossing project, the authority has been seeking donations and sponsorships to build up a beautification fund for the recreation trail, he said.

“We don’t have a bottomless pit,” Yannuzzi said, referring to available funding.

Reed said the authority and rail operator also could decide on their own, without the public crossing process, to install mazelike “Z gates” on both sides that would require bicyclists to navigate through the crossing on foot. The PUC would not be involved in this option, he said.

Wednesday’s conference also covered two other crossings the authority wants to make public where the levee path runs below a railroad bridge in Kingston near the Kingston Public Works facility and in Wilkes-Barre near the end of Riverside Drive.

There are no rail warnings at these sections, but Belleman said the authority wants to ensure all crossings are included in the application to be comprehensive.