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ROTTERDAM
Railroad crossing is wreaking havoc on drivers
CSX could undertake Burdeck Street project in fall
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Traveling through the Burdeck Street railroad crossing can be a bit of an adventure for those unfamiliar with Rotterdam.
    At times, CSX trains can block the busy roadway, causing traffi c to back up past the signalled intersection of Princetown Road. The stopped trains can be an inconvenience for several minutes, but they at least prevent unwitting motorists from taking the three-track crossing at full speed.
    The asphalt separating each section of track has buckled, causing a series of ripples at the crossing that sends drivers and passengers for an unexpected toss if they happen to strike them with a bit of speed. The sections of raised pavements — each about 2 inches above the top of the tracks — can wreak havoc on drivers traveling the posted speed limit of 35 mph.
    As a marketing director working nearby at Wade Tours on Burdeck Street, Greg Delorenzo knows the crossing well. He makes sure to slow his vehicle to a crawl through the crossing on his way to and from work.
    “You literally have to position yourself right in your seat to keep from getting tossed around,” he said.
    State Department of Transportation spokesman Peter Van Keuren said his agency has fielded a number of complaints about the crossing in recent years and has personally experienced the bumpy ride himself. But with CSX owning the intersection, he said there’s little the state can do to compel the company to improve the crossing.
    “We’re trying to work cooperatively with CSX to get some improvements made,” he said Monday. “The latest we’ve heard from them some kind of improvements will be made in October.”
    Of course, improvements of the crossing can be fl eeting. Within the last two years, CSX did a full overhaul of the crossing, including the installation of concrete footings between each pair of tracks.
    But the improvements were short-lived. What started out as a smooth ride when the company finished work now seems just as bad as it did before.
    “If anything, they made it worse,” Delorenzo said.
    CSX spokesman Gary Sease didn’t have any exact information about the upcoming crossing project. However, he said maintaining the company’s more than 30,000 crossings spread across 23 states is anything but easy.
    The combination of heavy train traffic, high vehicle counts and extreme weather can take a serious toll on the crossings. In the case of the Burdeck Street crossing, Sease said all three factors appear to be an influence. ..............>>>>...................>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01000&AppName=1

Quoted from TippyCanoe

the problem with the burdeck crossing is

its description by the town admin when requesting repair combines the words "yonder",  "right near" and "a right far piece." or  "just down the road" which causes problems with the 'urban' folk who are not good at  "rural" distance

maybe it is the track is "level" and the road is "crowned"

       Nah, the tracks are good.  They are locked in with all the ballast the RR uses.  Road is definitely crowned.  I called Schd'y. Hwy. Dep't. and they said it is only their responsibility to plow that road.  It is up to the State to repair the road.  They also indicated that they thought no one could work within a 10 foot easement of the tracks without RR approval and oversight.  He agreed the crossing is very bad, he also travels over it.

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They also indicated that they thought no one could work within a 10 foot easement of the tracks without RR approval and oversight

here lies the root of the problem

the power of the railroad supersedes that of the people

CSX should fix it.....aren't all the railroads subsidised by the government?.....Atlas Shrugged........FIX IT!

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Don’t bother slowing down at rough RR tracks

Re Aug. 7 letter, “Troublesome train tracks could lead to calamity”: As a Rotterdam resident one who travels over that rail crossing very often, here is a suggestion. If you “take” the crossing at the posted speed limit, which is 35 mph, you’ll fi nd — remarkably — that the ride is much smoother than if you slow down.
Just try it, you’ll be amazed!

ROY F. BORDEAU
Rotterdam

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00708&AppName=1

i wouldn't try it at 35

but i have found it depends on the distance between the front and rear wheels

small car with short wheelbase no problem

midsized car with longer wheelbase big problem

I tried going over it faster.....and it isn't quite as bad. Slow is worse!

How pathetic that we are even having this conversation!!

because we are American

the Europeans would have built to last 1000 years

the Asians would have torn it out and built it 6 times larger

Quoted from TippyCanoe

because we are American

the Europeans would have built to last 1000 years

the Asians would have torn it out and built it 6 times larger

but the union standards still stand dont they?????

Quoted from senders

but the union standards still stand dont they?????

please clarify - not getting it

              Probably most have already noted that the State apparently has repaired the grades on Burdeck Street where the rail lines cross.  Went over them the other day, and it is a huge improvement to what we had.  Hopefully they will remain in this condition for some time . . .

Now DV can give the credit to the Town democraps!!! LOL!!!!

The railroad companies are so subsidized and they cant even clean up their rails and overpasses......THEY SUCK!!!!