Council hears railroad-crossing maintenance costs and warned railroad can close an unsafe crossing

City of Live Oak staff told the council that railroads retain authority to close crossings they consider unsafe and outlined cost-sharing and maintenance expectations for a local crossing.

A staff speaker described prior arrangements in which municipalities or counties take responsibility for routine maintenance of crossings in their jurisdiction while the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) may contribute to bringing crossings up to current standards. The speaker said the railroad could declare a crossing unsafe and close it if upgrades required by FDOT were not completed.

The presentation included historical maintenance cost figures for what was identified in the packet as the 'Mussey' crossing. Staff cited an annual maintenance range of about $1,800 to $2,150 from prior audits and said the most recent maintenance audit for that crossing was performed in 2023. For a newly upgraded crossing the speaker estimated an early-year annual maintenance cost near $3,600 but said that amount could change if the railroad’s maintenance-review process raises costs (reviews were described as occurring every three to five years).

Council members were told that maintenance-cost changes would generally reflect inflation or material and supply cost changes rather than any guaranteed warranty on future costs. The presentation did not include a formal vote on a crossing-specific funding commitment in the provided transcript segments.

What’s next: staff indicated that final costs and responsibilities will be clarified with the railroad and FDOT and that maintenance-cost figures will be revisited at future audits or when upgrade work is complete.