Lima to receive funding for Cable railroad crossing study

Jan. 24—LIMA — The city of Lima got some news Wednesday that could have a big impact on traffic.

The Ohio Rail Development Commission's Grade Crossing Elimination Program announced that Lima's application to get grant funding for a study for a potential project to build an overpass or underpass at the N. Cable Road railroad crossing was accepted.

"This grant funding is for an alternative study for the feasibility of constructing a grade separation at Cable and CSNE railroad," public works director Kirk Niemeyer said. "So it looks at everything from 'no-build,' which leaves it as-is or it expands to every possibility that you can come up with within a geographical area. You look at the cost, the environmental issues, social justice issues and any impacts required with a project like that."

Niemeyer said that he does not have hard numbers of how many crossings residents have to wait on and for how long, but that wait, plus the need for safety services to get through a crossing during an emergency are among the things that motivated the city to seek this funding.

"The other concerns are with businesses and UNOH issues with blockages causing traffic to find a way around blocks by going through their streets," he said. "When you send a bunch of cars through campus where students are walking to class, it's not a good situation. And then businesses might have deliveries negatively affected when services can't be provided just because people are stuck on one side of the track trying to get where they're going."

With a law on the books allowing trains to stop at crossings for long periods, Niemeyer said that it is an important issue for a city like Lima that has several crossings, even though companies like CSX and Norfolk Southern are conscious of the impact they have on the community and make efforts to not block traffic longer than needed.

"We are an industrial city and we have our fair share of railroads compared to other cities in the state," he said. "Our communities deal with it a lot more every day as part of our lives so over the years that's why we've found ways to build grade separations at North Street, Vine Street and Elm Street. But those projects take considerable amounts of time and resources to make happen."

Niemeyer, who was a part of the Vine Street and Elm Street projects, said that after the study, which is set to start this summer, is completed in about nine to 12 months, it could take up to two years to build an overpass or underpass at the crossing.

"It depends on the footprint of the project and its complexity," he said. "You usually have to build a temporary bridge or route the track around the excavation or embankment. And if you're in an urban area where there are a lot of underground utilities, that can obviously add a lot to the timeline."

The ORDC will select a consultant to perform the study over the next few weeks, but Niemeyer said he expects that to happen routinely.

The amount of the funding will be determined by the conclusion of the study.

Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.