Council gives direction to pursue moving Booth railroad crossing to Dimock

City public works staff presented a multi-year transportation project on Sept. 2 that would relocate the Booth Street railroad crossing and extend Dimock Street to a new crossing near Oak Street, a move staff said would improve north–south arterial connectivity and address a high-accident intersection.

Wade Elliott, assistant public works director, described the crossing’s poor condition, pedestrian-safety concerns and the offset intersection geometry at Booth and G that contributes to crashes. He said the city’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) lists the Dimock extension and crossing as a fiscally constrained Tier 1 project and that the railroad has recently agreed to negotiate a one-for-one swap—an opportunity city staff had sought for years.

Elliott said the railroad’s design-engineering estimate is roughly $85,000; the city currently has a capital project (TR6247) with about $300,000 budgeted that could cover railroad design, survey and some city engineering work. He estimated construction at about $1 million (final cost to be developed with detailed design) and said likely funding sources are gas tax dollars and transportation system development charges (SDCs). He also noted a possible Metropolitan Planning Organization allocation of about $600,000 could help close any remaining gap.

After discussion about priorities and opportunity cost, councilors voted by voice roll call and reached a consensus to move forward with the project and authorize staff to proceed with railroad design contracts and the city’s design work. The recorded responses were: Indra — No; Rick — Yes; Kathleen — Yes; Eric — Yes; Seth — Yes; Rob — Yes; Joel — Yes; Victoria — Yes. Councilors emphasized the chance to capitalize on the railroad’s willingness to cooperate after years of unsuccessful outreach.

Next steps described by staff include negotiating a design contract with the railroad’s engineer, concurrent in-house design for the city portions (Thornton Engineering is noted as the in-house engineer), right-of-way work if needed, and eventual contractor procurement for construction. Staff indicated the bulk of construction funding would be programmed in future budget cycles; the current capital line has initial design funds.

Quoted: “I finally got a hold of the right person at the railroad that is willing to let us move the intersection or the crossing,” said Wade Elliott, assistant public works director.