It's a rail crossing along the 3rd Street corridor at N. 3rd and Union. It's on the edge of downtown, near Memorial Hospital, in a residential neighborhood.
Do you notice what's missing from the picture?
This rail crossing has no gates or arm guards of any kind. In the middle of town in a residential neighborhood.
It's no wonder that Amtrak and freight trains lay on their horns through Springfield. They're forced to with unsafe crossing like this one.
Union Pacific is going to significantly increase freight traffic on this line. They own the track and have shown no interest in paying for 10th Street corridor consolidation. Amtrak will increase passenger lines on this track as well. Springfield needs to prepare.
We could be having a conversation about how to make intersections like this one safer when rail traffic increases. If we improve the safety of crossings along the entire corridor we'll be able to pass ordinances requiring trains to not lay on their horn non-stop all the way through town. Springfield could be creating our own 3rd street corridor mitigation plan that results in the least disruption to our central neighborhoods and downtown.
But we aren't having those conversations. That kind of productive discussion isn't happening because city leaders continue to chase after the lost cause of 10th Street corridor rail consolidation and exaggerate the negative impacts of track upgrades along the 3rd Street corridor. We should consider the consequences if County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter and Mayor Mike Houston continue their stubborn refusal to discuss anything other than consolidation.
The worst case scenario for Springfield is that federal high speed rail funding will run out before track upgrades are made. We could be left with a significant increase in rail traffic along the 3rd Street corridor but with no improvements to any crossings. We'll have all the inconvenience of more freight trains and no mitigation measures to improve safety or the flow of street traffic.
If that happens, we'll owe partial thanks to the Tea Party and other Republicans in Congress for their opposition to federal high speed rail funding. Even Springfield area Republicans like John Shimkus, Aaron Schock, and Bobby Schilling are doing their best to cut job-creation projects like high speed rail from the federal budget. It's unfair and unrealistic for Houston and Van Meter to expect Dick Durbin to deliver rail funds when the Republican Congressmen who represent Springfield are working against it.
Realistically, there isn't money for 10th Street consolidation unless the city issues a major bond and raises taxes. We all know how popular tax increases are.
Springfield needs to produce its own mitigation plan to make the best of high speed rail on the 3rd Street corridor. Having better passenger rail service in the heart of downtown on 3rd Street can be an economic development tool just like it has been in many other communities. It's time to face facts and have that conversation.