Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority focused on rail crossing improvements

Luzerne County’s Redevelopment Authority is working to make some railroad crossings smoother and safer, officials say.

Safety enhancements will be completed at three locations through the Railway-Highway Crossings (Section 130) Program, which provides federal funds to eliminate hazards at roadway rail crossings, said Jim Brozena, the authority’s engineering consultant.

The three crossings and some preliminary details, according to Brozena:

• River Road in Jenkins Township

Flashing lights and other advance warning notices will be installed. Currently there are only railroad crossbuck signs at this location.

“Hopefully it will make people more attentive,” Brozena said.

• Cross Valley Expressway ramp at the Wilkes-Barre Boulevard exit in Wilkes-Barre

A cantilever sign with flashing lights will be installed.

• North Main Street in the area of the new Wilkes-Barre Area High School

At minimum, flashing lights and pavement markings will be added. However, Brozena said the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, or PUC, is reviewing the possibility of a gate when trains are crossing.

The PUC makes decisions on which warning measures are required at crossings based on visibility, road and rail traffic, accident reports, a crossing’s history and other factors, the agency has said.

“It was determined this site is a priority because of the new school,” Brozena said.

The authority has been working with state agencies and state Rep. Mike Carroll (D-Avoca), who is minority chair of the House Transportation Committee, to prioritize and secure funding to enhance safety at these and other authority rail crossings, said Brozena and authority Executive Director Andrew Reilly.

“There has been a lot of good news. Good things are happening with railroad crossings,” Brozena said.

Bumpy tracks

Roadway deterioration will be addressed at two authority crossings through Local Share Account (LSA) funding from casino gambling, the authority board said during its meeting last week.

An LSA allocation of $193,000 will cover repairs at the River Road crossing in Jenkins Township separate from the Section 130 safety enhancements to be completed there, officials said.

The other LSA allocation — $122,000 — will fund repairs at the Commerce Road crossing in Dupont.

New traffic patterns and development in that area have taken a toll on the Commerce Road crossing, Brozena said.

“It sees a ton more truck traffic, so it needs to be upgraded,” Brozena said.

Although no grant funding is available at this time, the authority board voted last week to replace the crossing at Dana Street in Wilkes-Barre due to complaints about its condition.

The authority selected Digg-it Corp. to complete the work for $21,175. The Moosic-based company handled prior authority crossing replacements at Parrish and South Franklin streets in the city.

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, which operates the authority rail, must equally split the cost of the work with the authority under its lease agreement, the board said.

Repairs also were recently completed at the railroad crossing on the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township, in the area of the parkway’s intersection with Oxford Street, through a partnership with R.J. Corman, the township and authority, Reilly said.

Reilly said the authority contribution toward that project is estimated at $4,000.

Township Manager Samuel T. Guesto Jr. said the authority and rail operator covered the cost of the asphalt and traffic control at the site, and the township provided labor to complete the work.

“It had been badly deteriorated,” Guesto said. “We’re hoping some more permanent improvements of the crossing will be completed as part of the future Sans Souci reconstruction project.”