Grade crossings, other issues could slow passenger revival on Housatonic RR

NORTH CANAAN — A plan to re-establish passenger service on the north-south Housatonic Railroad  line has gotten lots of local support, but it won’t happen without changes that have been rejected here in the past. It will be complicated to re-establish depots, parking and other needs along an existing freight rail corridor.

One long-term project that illustrates the problem is the proposal for a new structure of lights and gates at the crossing in the center of town. The idea has been on the drawing board for about 20 years, unable to gain the approvals to move forward.

It has been decades since riders could board here and travel to New York City, though, and the prospect is captivating.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) owns most of the rail corridor, which it leases to the railroad company. The DOT has advocated for the added safety at that difficult grade crossing, regardless of what type of trains use it. Located on Route 44, it is just a couple of car lengths from the busy Route 7 intersection, amid a confluence of main roads and commercial driveways.

Just north of the crossing, freight cars are often lined up on sidings, awaiting track switching that has the locomotive moving back and forth across Route 44. There are also unusual construction obstacles to overcome, giving improvements a high price tag. That, along with local opposition, has stopped the project in its tracks numerous times.

The subject came up again recently with an inquiry from the Housatonic Railroad. Road resurfacing is needed at the crossing and at a spur that crosses Route 44 a short distance to the east. The company wanted to know if the crossing upgrades, which would require digging up the road, would happen soon.

The answer from the DOT was a clear “no,� adding that Housatonic Railroad needs to do the repaving per its rail corridor lease agreement with the state. The answer to the bigger picture of just when the state will implement the project is a design completion date of Feb. 8, 2012. Of course, that is the target for the completion of a plan, which must then be approved by the state and obtain extensive permitting. That permitting includes environmental considerations for discharge of drainage from the site. The irony is that the hesitation by the state has resulted in the project’s previous design phase “timing out.�

“It has to go back into the system,� said Randy Eick, a Department of Transportation project manager who has been involved with the project from the beginning.

Eick has spoken openly about it with The Journal during those years.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s a difficult and expensive project. While we’ve been trying to get it off the ground, higher priority work pre-empted it.�

Affected by cutbacks

The last decade has also seen a significant decrease in DOT staffing, as the state has necessarily addressed budget woes. There is no decision-making at the local level, but the DOT holds informational meetings locally on such projects, so public opinion is heard. Eick said a couple of proposals to do this in the past brought significant opposition in North Canaan.

“When it was last proposed, the business community complained about the need to shut down the road for the two weeks the project would take,� Eick said. “We also received a letter from the town attorney threatening to sue.�

The response may now be different since gates and lights will be a must for passenger service. If the DOT approves Housatonic’s plan, the upgrade will proceed automatically.

Whenever the subject has come up, the prime objection has been that gates and lights will slow traffic through the town center. However, a controlled crossing that allows trains to roll through town at about 10 mph, without coming to a full stop, is much quicker than the current routine.

Now, the train stops and a rail worker has to step out into the road to flag traffic to a stop. That process is often delayed and made more hazardous as drivers speed up to avoid getting “stuck.� The engine, designed for power, rather than speed, has to crawl through the crossing very slowly if switching is involved.

Won’t be cheap or easy

Eick said that if anything has become clear, it is that there is no inexpensive way to do the upgrade.

The overriding issue is drainage. The crossing sits at the lowest point in the town center. A lot of water runoff collects there. The fear is that chronic standing water will cause problems with electrical connections that would have to be installed under the crossing. The consequences of malfunctioning crossing warning equipment are likely to be disastrous.

A project put forth about 10 years ago, mostly to address drainage, was scrapped because of cost. Engineers had decided to address drainage issues at the nearby spur as well at the intersection of routes 7 and 44, hoping to save money by tying the projects together.

“At the time, they didn’t realize the rise between the two was a granite ledge,� Eick said. “I suppose they should have realized that when the side street between the crossing is Granite Avenue.�

Eick said the upgrade project is a definite “go� at this point. Preliminary design work includes road adjustments to get the crossing “out of the hole.�

“They will be designed simultaneously as two projects. They won’t be done at the same time because of the road closing issue. They will cost about $800,000 each and require a lot of permitting, mainly having to do with the drainage discharge. We have sent preliminary design plans to the railroad to review. After a public information meeting, if the town wants it, we expect it to go forward.�

Eick said the DOT regulatory hearing on the project will be open to the public. A local session can be added if there is interest.