PLYMOUTH – Plymouth Village Council moved one step closer Tuesday evening to permanently closing the Walnut Street railway crossing.
A resolution that would close the crossing to vehicular and pedestrian traffic was read for a second time and is set to be voted on Sept. 12.
The Ohio Rail Development Commission came to the village to evaluate the crossing in 2022 and decided proper railway bars and lights needed to be installed in order to increase public safety, said Mayor Cassaundra Fryman.
The curve of the railway and a lack of safe viewing distance led to the ORDC’s recommendation, Fryman said.
At the time, the Ashland Railway was not in agreement with the proposed changes and pushed back against ORDC recommendations, she said.
West Broadway Street Bridge closes
“Then the West Broadway Street bridge needed to be closed,” Fryman said. “That took precedence, threw a wrench into everything, and became the focal point.”
In light of the bridge closure, ORDC proposed a plan to take the $250,000 funds for installing lighting and railway bars at the crossing and instead use it towards the engineering necessary for the bridge replacement.
In exchange for the reallocation of funds, the ORDC asked the village agree to permanently close the Walnut Street railway crossing.
“ORDC has really gone to bat for us,” Fryman said. “Since it’s a street with low traffic, when there’s not a detour for the bridge, it really shouldn’t interfere with the people who live on that part of town.”
Village applies for ODOT grant
Fryman said that the agreement with ORDC was listed in the village’s grant application for the bridge replacement, submitted Aug. 15 to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The estimated cost of the bridge replacement project is $2.1 million, she said.
The Ashland Railway has also offered to contribute in-kind services for the bridge project, which will include waiving all flagging fees, rights of entry fees and engineering review fees estimated at 10% of the total bridge construction cost.
Ashland Railway will also contribute 2.5% of the estimated bridge replacement costs, up to $31,250, to assist with the costs of replacing the bridge at West Broadway Street.
“In exchange, we’ll take control of the bridge from Ashland Railway,” Fryman said. “This would help get it replaced as soon as possible.”
Fryman said the presentation for the grant will take place Sept. 20 and the village will hopefully get an answer regarding its application shortly after.
The ORDC will contribute $250,000 toward the $2.1 million project, with remaining funds provided by a grant from ODOT.
The job is not finished yet
“A lot of things have been in the works for this,” she said. “It just takes a really long time. It’s been a process.”
If the grant is approved, Fryman said that it takes about a year for the engineering and architecture to be drawn. Construction bids would then be sought.
“There’s all kinds of things that have to go into consideration before we can even break ground on the project,” she said. “So my hope is that it would be within two years of grant approval, but I don’t want to set an unrealistic bar.”
The resolution will be put to vote during its final reading at the Sept. 12 meeting, and Fryman has no concerns regarding the passing of the legislation.
“I’m very hopeful and optimistic that this grant will be approved,” she said. “If it falls through then we’re back to square one, that would break my heart.”