Railroad improvements coming to Lebanon

Abbey Nutter, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
·2 min read

Feb. 7—When the railroad crossing at the intersection of West Baddour Parkway, Hartmann Drive, and North Castle Heights Boulevard was temporarily paved in late January to make it through winter, it marked a step forward in long-anticipated railroad crossing improvements for the city of Lebanon.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is currently reviewing several Lebanon railroad crossings based on crash history, number of trains and school buses, and daily traffic to implement safety improvements. Current crossings on TDOT's project list include those at the intersections of West Baddour Parkway and Hartmann Drive, along with West Baddour Parkway and North Castle Heights Boulevard.

"Railroad crossings are something that people talk to me about all the time, about how rough they are," Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell said. "We've been able to repair a few of them in town, but this project is going to get a lot done."

Bell has received positive feedback from residents regarding the temporary improvements already implemented in the city.

"It's going to benefit the city in several ways," Bell said. "First of all, we'll be smoothing out the tracks, which will help people that go over them all the time. These are major thoroughfares that have a lot of traffic volume. There's also going to be some creation of pedestrian crosswalks in those areas as well to make that safer."

The project will also prep the crossings affected to become silent crossings. Currently, trains are required to blow their horns as they go through those areas.

"This will be the first step in those crossings being silent so they don't have to blow their horns and that way they don't disturb the neighbors there," Bell said.

Bell hopes that the improvements will decrease congestion through providing a smoother track for vehicles to pass over.

"The city of Lebanon has the opportunity to make significant safety, and operational improvements at a reduced cost by participating in TDOT's railroad safety program," Lebanon Traffic Engineer Kristen Rice said in a press release. "We appreciate the partnerships that we have with both TDOT and R.J. Corman Railroad."