FeedsPlan nearly ‘derails’ Wayne city traffic
Timing is everything.
That’s why officials in the City of Wayne were dismayed when the received a letter from CSX Railroad representatives sent them a letter telling them they would work on the railroad crossing on Glenwood during this construction season.
“We started shaking in our boots,” said City Engineer Ramzi El-Gharib.
Glenwood is one of the main east to west routes for public safety personnel, now that work on Michigan Avenue has limited the westbound traffic to one lane.
The crossing just west of Newburgh Road has long been a source of concern for the suspension-jarring condition it’s been in. The city has no jurisdiction over railroad property, though. Neither does the State of Michigan. Local officials can only request improvements; they cannot force them.
“We’ve been trying to get them to upgrade the railroad crossing for the past four years,” El-Gharib said.
The company said they had planned for the work in September. It could be completed within a week or two.
Fire Chief Tim Reynolds said he’s trying to get the project postponed until work on Michigan Avenue is more conducive.
“Right now, we’re using Glenwood a lot to avoid the construction,” he said. “We have that emergency lane (on eastbound Michigan Avenue), but I don’t want us cut off completely.”
The lane closest to the median on eastbound Michigan Avenue is blocked off to regular traffic to give fire and police crews an emergency westbound route in the event the railroad crossing is blocked by a train. They also receive automatic mutual aid from the City of Westland to help public safety crews on the west portion of town.
“We just don’t want us to be in a position where we’re stuck,” Reynolds said. “I feel more comfortable having access to that part of town.
Reynolds said he and other city officials are trying to get the work pushed back to November, when Michigan Avenue would most likely be complete. The company isn’t always responsive to local concerns, though, since they are federally regulated. They are often slow to answer concerns, too.
“We do want it fixed, don’t get me wrong,” Reynolds said. “We just don’t want everything shut down at the same time.”
El-Gharib said the threat to public safety routes is just one part of the potential problem. Many residents use Glenwood to circumvent the construction, too, and several subdivisions would be impacted.
“If you shut down Michigan Avenue and you shut down Glenwood, how do you get to your home? It’s a great inconvenience to the residents,” El-Gharib said.
