Media Contact: (360) 664-1116 or media@utc.wa.gov
Docket Numbers: TR-190859
Safety upgrades approved for 12 Thurston county crossings
OLYMPIA, Wash. – State regulators today approved nearly $1,800 in grant funding for the Olympia & Belmore Railroad to improve signs at 12 railroad crossings in Thurston county.
The Utilities and Transportation Commission approved the Grade Crossing Protective Fund (GCPF) grant to add or replace Emergency Notification System signs, stop signs, crossbuck signs, and yield signs.
The grant awards, which range between $30 and $250, will be used at the following crossings:
• ADS Pipe crossing;
• Columbia Street Southwest;
• Deschutes Parkway North;
• Deschutes Parkway South;
• Heritage Park Hillside pedestrian crossing;
• Powerhouse Road;
• RW Johnson Road;
• Sapp Road;
• Trosper Road;
• 29 Avenue Southwest;
• 54 Avenue; and
• 915 Deschutes Parkway.
The upgrades will improve the overall safety at the crossings by providing greater visibility of the warning devices for drivers and pedestrians.
The upgrades must be completed by June 30, 2020. The railroad will cover any costs over the approved grant amount including labor associated with the upgrades.
The 1969 Legislature created the GCPF to provide money for safety measures to reduce accidents and fatalities at public and private crossings and along railroad tracks.
The UTC regulates railroad safety, including approving new grade crossings and closing or altering existing rail crossings, investigating train accidents, inspecting public railroad crossings, approving safety projects, and managing safety education through Operation Lifesaver.
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