Studies seek Osceola rail overpass, but 3 options cut through county park

To curb train accidents and save lives, St. Joseph County officials are seeking a $1.2 million federal grant to study options for a railroad overpass on Ash Road in Osceola.

But, out of four possible options drafted so far, three would build a new road through a key portion of Ferrettie-Baugo Creek County Park.

The impetus for the overpass comes partly because of a train crash in 2018 that killed 23-year-old Franky Reeves Jr. on his way to work. It was about 4:30 a.m. when Reeves sat in his truck at the Ash Road railroad crossing, just south of Lincoln Way East. After one train took more than 20 minutes to pass, he waited several more seconds, then drove around the downed gates. A second train came at 60 mph and hit his truck.

His mother, Stacy Reeves, said she has vowed to seek a safer railroad crossing, even if it takes the rest of her life.

She and her family sat silently on Feb. 20 as county Economic Development Director Bill Schalliol explained the crossing options to the St. Joseph County Parks board.

Reeves’ death was one of two fatalities — the other was a pedestrian — and among five total collisions with a train since 2018 for four railroad crossings: Cottage Grove Avenue, Beach Road, Apple Road and Ash Road. That’s a nearly 2-mile stretch at the eastern end of the county where officials have focused their attention.

Three of those collisions happened since August 2022, including a Feb. 7 train-vehicle crash that reportedly left minor injuries, according to transportation planner Caitlin Stevens with the Michiana Area Council of Governments.

Parks Director Steve Slauson admitted that “my heart skipped a beat” to see the three options through Ferrettie-Baugo because they’d cruise right through structures he’d helped to build several years ago.

It could be several years before such an overpass becomes reality, if it's deemed feasible.

May 2022:Stopped traffic. Dangerous crossings. Osceola's train traffic woes could be solved. Here's how

The county had hired Abonmarche Consultants at a cost of $72,000 for a "hazard elimination and mobility study" of Lincoln Way East traffic and the at-grade railroad crossings between Capital Avenue and Elkhart County.

The consultants settled on seeking an Ash Road overpass, ruling out other crossings nearby because, Schalliol said, overpasses there would have ripped through neighborhoods and required too much private land to be acquired.

Apart from the three options that go through the park, one option in Elkhart County would extend County Road 100 north, then have the road curve west to intersect with Ash.

That, Schalliol said, would mean acquiring private property. Another challenge is that the railroad tracks widen there as they approach the Norfolk Southern rail yard, which, he said, could make the size of the overpass “unmanageable to build or fund.”

Another option would involve not building an overpass.

Early last week, the county applied for a $1.2 million grant from the federal RAISE program (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity). The county would have to provide a 20% match. If awarded, it may be in late summer.

Schalliol said the money would help to study the impacts of the various options, including whether there might be issues with water levels. Maps of the options show wetlands and possible flood hazards along Baugo Creek to the west and south of potential new roads.

Getting the grant would also entail public meetings about the project, he said.

Two years ago, he said, St. Joseph and Elkhart counties started looking at mobility and access between the counties where, chamber officials have estimated, 12,500 people commute each day.

Nearby, the Chestnut Street railroad crossing was closed in the past year.

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Osceola rail overpass options hit Ferrettie-Baugo Creek County Park