At-grade COLT railroad crossing at US-63 freeway in Missouri

[Lyon_Wonder]

North of Columbia MO just before an interchange on the US-63 freeway, there’s an at-grade crossing with tracks that serve the Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT) shortline.  This is unusual since this stretch of US-63 is built to interstate-standards and has a speed limit of 70 mph

View from Google Maps 

Well, this crossing is set to be replaced.


Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | 10:21 a.m. CST
BY Elizabeth Lucas

COLUMBIA — The well-known Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT) crossing at U.S. 63 is set to be replaced for the first time since it was built in the 1980s. City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a loan from the Electric Utility fund to the Railroad Utility fund for construction of the crossing on U.S. 63 between Route B and Brown Station Road.

The existing crossing has exceeded its design life and is in poor condition, according to the city staff's report. The $565,000 loan will cover costs for replacing the crossing and creating a detour roadway while U.S. 63 is closed.

Christian Johanningmeier, an engineer for Columbia Water and Light, said that though the Missouri Department of Transportation owns U.S. 63, it declined to help pay for repairs to the crossing.

“We’ve been trying to get them to financially participate in that project for years,” Johanningmeier said.

Replacement of the crossing comes amidst discussion of building a railway overpass that would address safety issues as well as providing necessary renovations.

“If there was funding available today, we would probably not repair the crossing but direct all efforts to build the bridge,” Johanningmeier said. The bridge would cost $6 million, according to the staff report.

Addressing safety issues at the crossing includes minimizing traffic accidents where the COLT railroad crosses U.S. 63. A report from the Missouri Department of Transportation said 18 accidents occurred between 2002 and 2006, compared to eight between 1997 and 2001. Only three accidents since 2001 have involved a train. The report also cited an increase in traffic, from roughly 10,800 cars per day in 2001 to 22,500 in 2006.

State law requires trucks and buses to stop at railroads, regardless of whether or not a train is there. Most accidents at the crossing have happened when trucks were stopped and cars rear-ended them. The speed limit on U.S. 63 is 70 miles per hour.

The report listed options for reducing these accidents, one of which was to build a railway bridge over the highway. Another was to exempt vehicles from the requirement to stop at a railroad crossing.  

Earlier this year the council adopted a resolution to file a request with the Missouri Department of Transportation to exempt school buses and trucks carrying hazardous materials from stopping at this particular intersection, which was granted.

[BaltACD]

Approximately 50 years ago, the Baltimore, Maryland Beltway had a railroad crossing at grade with the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad, which prior to 1952 had been a commuter rail operation between Baltimore and Annapolis, the passenger service was abandoned in I believe 1952.  After the passenger service abandonment the line continued to provide freight service with a GE 70 ton engine.  Service across the Baltimore Beltway occured during the middle of the night and movements flaged their way across the highway.  This dangerous operation was ended in the early 1960's when the elevation of the Beltway was raised on a bridge over the railroad.

At present the Northern end of the former B&A right of way is part of the Baltimore Light Rail system.  The Southern end of the right of way has become the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.

[CShaveRR]

When one thinks of an expressway, one doesn't expect to find grade crossings--in most cases overpasses with now-abandoned rights-of-way are the norm.

But they do, or did, exist.  The example I remember was the former New York Central crossing of U.S. Highway 131 west of Kalamazoo, Michigan.  This was the NYC (later PC) branch from Kalamazoo to South Haven, and it apparently saw little enough traffic when the highway was built in the early 1960s.  I don't recall gates at this crossing, but it was protected by crossbucks and flashers, and standard traffic signals.  Speed limit on 131 in the vicinity of the crossing was not reduced from 70.

I never heard about accidents at this crossing, but the rear-end variety you mentioned certainly wouldn't have been beyond the realm of probability.

The crossing presumably existed until the line was abandoned when Conrail was formed.  (I last encountered the crossing in early 1971.  I vaguely remember seeing a short train there late one night.)  West of the highway, the branch line is now the Kal-Haven Trail (which I biked from end to end once).

[mudchicken]

MoDOT is a collection of highway people with no railroad counterparts (and it shows)...

They can't even fix the damage to the COLT (ex-Wabash) bridge over I-70 that continuously is struck by excess dimention loads hauled by some really stupid truckers. The bridge gets hit once a year at least it seems. 

[The Butler]

The first time I came across this crossing, I was shocked!  I was visiting a friend in Columbia.  He was driving and, IIRC, as we crested a slight rise, poof, there it was with crossbucks and road side flashers and over head flashers.  I couldn't believe a grade crossing on a divided, four lane, 70 mph road!