There are no indications of when changes might take place at the Shore Road railroad crossing in Cornwall-on-Hudson, but after a meeting with New York State Department of Transportation and CSX officials, Mayor Brendan Coyne has a better understanding of the steps he needs to take to create a safer crossing.
On Monday morning, representatives from the DOT, CSX, and the offices of Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Assemblyman James Skoufis met with Coyne, Storm King Engine Co. fire chief Jeff Armitage, police chief Steve Dixon, and Director of Emergency Management Kurt Hahn to discuss past accidents on the tracks and ways to prevent future ones.
After a 45-minute meeting, the group drove to the Shore Road crossing to get a feel for the lay of the land, as well as offer suggestions for improvements.
Jim Rapoli from the DOT, presented a number of ideas that the village can easily implement. Coyne said he’ll meet with Department of Public Works Superintendent David Halvorsen to discuss the changes.
Leading up to the crossing, there’s no advance warning on either side.
“People are coming up on this crossing blind,” said Rapoli.
He said warning signs should be erected to let motorists know they’re coming to a railroad crossing. Railroad symbols should also be painted on the roadway. Fog lines along the sides of shore road will guide motorists in the right direction and keep them on the road. Stop lines should be painted on the roadway indicating where cars should begin waiting for a passing train. Rapoli even suggested stop signs prior to the tracks in order to control vehicle speed.
Following the meeting, Coyne said he didn’t get a good impression from the railroad representatives. He said rather than offer solutions, they “passed the buck” to other agencies.
One suggestion that didn’t get a welcome reception was expanding the pavement closer to the tracks on the river side of the crossing. A CSX representative said if the fog lines are painted in the right place, a shoulder would be created, forming a buffer if a motorist should happen to veer in the wrong direction. He said he’d also be concerned about cars parked at the riverfront backing up onto the tracks.
Hahn said rerouting the roadway, to create a perpendicular crossing with the tracks, would be safer, but much more costly.
