After a considerable absence, Union Pacific Railroad airhorns have begun to fill the air. On Monday, February 24, 2014, engineers began to signal their way through Morrison, IL, their horns blasting at various durations.
Gary Tresenriter, City of Morrison Director of Public Services, stated it is up to the individual engineers whether to blow the horn or not. “Some of them are enjoying it more than others!” he added.
As in the past, this returning locomotive “noise” serves to warn motorists and pedestrians at the four crossings: Sawyer Road and Jackson, Orange, and Heaton Streets.
On Tuesday, February 25, Tresenriter explained the reason. The City was notified Monday by the Federal Railroad Administration that Morrison did not pass a recent inspection. Several yellow-and-black striped “channel uprights,” “lane dividers,” or “paddles” have been destroyed at these intersections. The inspector was required to report the safety issue to the UP Railroad.
Tresenriter had ordered three dozen replacements before the Monday inspection; they have not arrived. “We replace those things all the time. The sad thing is, they’re $90 apiece. They’re really costing the City a lot of money.”
He said, “I was afraid to replace them when it was so cold. If [people] ran over them, they’d just break. They don’t bounce back.” Worse yet, he suspects several were deliberately run down, particularly on the north side of Orange Street. The replacement cost is “over $3000.”
If someone sees intentional destruction of a lane divider, he urges that person to copy the license number of the vehicle and report this act of vandalism. Perhaps a quick photograph could be taken with a mobile phone.
Once the safety items are delivered, City workers will act quickly to install them. Tresenriter added he will notify the inspector, and she will relay the information to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Five deaths have occurred at railroad crossings in Morrison. The UP takes that seriously. Until nearly two dozen “paddles” have been replaced by the Public Works Department, the loud warnings will continue day and night to keep us safe.