Luzerne County’s Flood Protection Authority has received a $561,000 state grant to address a railroad crossing atop the Wyoming Valley Levee in Edwardsville, with the goal of eliminating an unpopular fencing barricade that impedes levee trail users, officials said Tuesday.
The fencing was installed in April 2023 to prevent the public from crossing an intersecting active Norfolk Southern Railway train line.
Intended to address the rail operator’s public safety concerns, the fence was viewed as an unwelcome obstruction by many accustomed to freely walking, biking, and jogging on the path between Edwardsville and Kirby Park. The rail crossing is near the Wilkes University women’s softball field and Kirby Park tennis courts.
Authority Executive Director Laura Holbrook said Norfolk Southern has expressed a willingness to consider eliminating fencing if the authority develops a strong new design that meets its safety requirements.
Many levee trail users have requested elimination of the fencing, which prompted the authority to seek the grant, Holbrook said.
“This project will have a positive community impact, and I am thrilled that the authority was able to secure the grant funds to invest in public safety at this location,” Holbrook said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation awarded the grant through the Automated Red-Light Enforcement (ARLE) program, which aims to improve safety at intersections. The $561,000 awarded to the flood authority will cover design and construction of a pedestrian and bicycle crossing at the Norfolk Southern crossing, the state said.
Holbrook expects the grant-funded design will include arm gates that block the path when trains are coming through, more signs, and a requirement for cyclists to dismount and walk their bikes through that section.
“We’re hoping to do crossing arms so there would be lights and sounds — both visual and audio warnings — to assist in safe passing,” Holbrook said.
If the authority and railroad reach an agreement on an acceptable design, additional funding would be needed to complete the project if the construction cost exceeds the grant award, Holbrook said.
“This grant ensures we can get it started, which is great,” Holbrook said.
She emphasized that fencing must remain in place until another solution is designed, approved, and completed.
Authority workers must periodically repair the fencing because vandals cut sections to allow people to pass through, she said.
Norfolk Southern, which owns the land containing the track, required the fencing as part of an agreement granting the authority permission to modify the crossing so a gate system could be quickly installed when the Susquehanna River rises, eliminating the need for more than 1,500 sandbags, the authority said.
The authority had requested assistance from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, or PUC, on options for the levee-rail intersection, arguing repeated vandalism compromises the fencing’s effectiveness.
While the path atop the levee is technically for maintenance purposes, recreational use is permitted because the flood control system is in an urban environment, the authority has said.
Wilkes-Barre also received a $244,000 ARLE grant to improve pedestrian visibility and signals at the intersection of Carey Avenue and Horton Street, the state’s release said.
In all, 51 projects totaling $27 million were funded through the grant award.