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Hardin County to add railroad warning signs, asks railroad to trim trees after Raineyville safety concerns
Summary
Judge Executive Keith Tull told the Hardin County Fiscal Court on Aug. 12 the county will place additional railroad warning signs, seek tree trimming from the railroad and evaluate crossings after resident concerns about sight lines at a Raineyville crossing and a prior fatal crash.
Hardin County Judge Executive Keith Tull told the county fiscal court on Aug. 12 that the county will add railroad warning signs and pursue additional safety steps at county railroad crossings after lingering visibility concerns at a Raineyville crossing.
Tull said the county can add “railroad warning signs with ‘ahead’” and place them on both approaches. He said the county plans to ask the railroad company to trim trees off its right-of-way and to consider upgrades such as changing a yield to a stop sign or adding flashing lights, but that decisions on stop signs and certain active warning devices rest with the railroad company.
The effort follows continuing concern from family members and residents after a young man died at the Craft Road crossing in Raineyville on April 28, 2020. Tull cited outreach he received from state Senator Matt Dinh and referred to Senate Resolution 39 and Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit that promotes rail crossing safety, when describing state-level attention to the issue.
Tull said county crews will inventory other county crossings that lack flashing lights or gates, assess sight-line and vegetation issues, and add maintenance work to the county’s system so crossings are checked more frequently.
He also said county staff recently contacted the railroad (identified in the meeting only as “the railroad company”) and that the company agreed to check on the items discussed and to report back to county staff.
Tull cautioned that railroads control some elements within their right-of-way and that the county’s authority is therefore limited, but said county crews will do what they can to improve visibility and safety at crossings under county control.
The fiscal court did not take a formal vote on a specific crossing action during the meeting; the discussion was presented as a direction to pursue signage, maintenance, inventory and coordination with the railroad.
