(The Tennessean posted the following article by Bonna de la Cruz on its website on November 7.)
NASHVILLE — The railroad crossing at Lebanon Pike near Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage could be a case of an accident waiting to happen.
According to an accident prediction rate compiled by the state, a collision could occur there every 21/2 years unless improvements are made.
Of the 3,429 public railroad crossings in Tennessee, that crossing was the 13th-most-dangerous statewide last year.
And for the first time, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is willing to let the public know it’s the most dangerous crossing in Nashville.
This week, state Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely, citing a new era of openness at TDOT, released the Railroad Grade Crossing Priority Listing Report for 2001, which ranks crossings based on 13 factors.
The Tennessean reviewed the worst 343, or about 10%, of the 3,429 crossings, and found that 23 of those were in Nashville and another 30 in surrounding counties.
The most dangerous crossings are the ones with the most reported collisions and highest numbers of train and vehicle traffic, said Terry Cantrell, a transportation manager in TDOT’s Rail Safety Office.
No accidents were reported at the Lebanon Pike crossing between 1997 and 2001, the years covered by the priority list, but 27,830 cars cross it every day, Cantrell said.
Owners of the crossing, Nashville and Eastern Railroad Corp., said they did not understand why it ranks so high, especially since a small number of trains ? two, according to TDOT ? cross there on an average day.
No improvements have been made in the past year, although the railroad company plans to replace rubber pads at the crossing to make it smoother, said Craig Wade, general manager and vice president of Nashville and Eastern.
Seventeenth on the list was the site where CSX tracks cross Una-Antioch Pike. Four collisions occurred there between 1997 and 2001.
Like the Lebanon Pike site, the 35th most-dangerous crossing, located on Lafayette Street in Nashville, has high traffic volume. Wade said fences surrounding nearby businesses near the tracks could make it difficult for motorists to see oncoming trains. Both crossings have flashing lights to warn drivers of oncoming trains.
The most dangerous crossing in the state is at Kirby Parkway in Memphis, where seven accidents occurred during 1997-2001. Three other Memphis crossings are among the 10 most dangerous in the state.
The priority list is compiled every year to guide TDOT on which crossings to improve with about $3.2 million in federal funds.
About 35-45 crossings are made safer each year with the funds, Cantrell said, adding that the top crossings on the 2001 list should be in some stage of improvement.
”We don’t think of the list as dangerous crossings. It’s our priority of how we expend money and where the most need is.”
Once a crossing scores highly enough to be improved, it can take a year or more for railroad companies to install safety gates or make other changes, Cantrell said.
Ninety people died in crashes at Tennessee railroad crossings between 1993 and the end of 2002, according to TDOT.
The public release of the priority list is a big victory for railroad safety advocates like Maryellen Feaster of Sewanee, Tenn.
”This is a huge step. It’s made my day,” Feaster said.
She tried to obtain the priority list when she sued CSX Transportation after her daughter, Hilary Feaster, 17, died in 1997 at a crossing in Franklin County. TDOT turned her down.
Feaster recently was tapped as one of the first community members of TDOT’s Highway/Railroad Grade Crossing Task Force, and even then was unable to see a copy of the list. She plans to obtain a copy now, she said. ”The public crosses these rails, so why shouldn’t the list be public?”
Since there will never be enough money to investigate every crossing in the state, it is important for the public to know the most dangerous ones that need improving, she said. It may be a case of a crossing needing gates, vegetation that needs to be cleared, or a badly designed crossing that requires a driver to crane his neck to look out for an oncoming train, Feaster said.
Wade, of Nashville and Eastern, said he was not convinced that making the list public was a good idea. ”I have mixed emotions. ”People make issues about every little thing ? make mountains out of molehills.”
Dangerous railroad crossings in Middle Tennessee
There are 3,429 public railroad crossings in Tennessee. A look at the most dangerous 343 sites, or about 10%, shows that 23 are in Davidson County and another 30 are in surrounding counties. The numbers represent state rankings. Those with the lowest rankings are the most dangerous.
13. Nashville, Lebanon Pike near Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage
17. Nashville, Una-Antioch Pike near Hickory Hollow Parkway
23. Gallatin, Gallatin Road east of Fairgrounds Road downtown
35. Nashville, Lafayette Street, where it turns into Murfreesboro Pike
42. Nashville, Richards Road between Lori Drive and Drewry Drive/Waikiki Drive
47. Nashville, Donelson Pike south of Lebanon Pike
56. Nashville, Nolensville Pike north of Melrose Avenue
60. Dickson, State Route 46
78. Nashville, Old Hickory Boulevard near Andrew Jackson Parkway
84. Murfreesboro, West Main Street at Overall Street
89. Nashville, Charlotte Avenue between 40th and 42nd Avenues North
94. Nashville, Old Hickory Boulevard at Lebanon Pike
107. Sumner County, Callender Lane
113. Murfreesboro, Manson Pike/West Lokey Avenue
117. Murfreesboro, Third Avenue South
127. Greenbrier, College Street between U.S. 41 and Old Greenbrier Pike
139. Gallatin, Belvedere Drive near the Sumner County administration building
154. Murfreesboro, Butler Drive
158. Sumner County, Saundersville Road north of Hendersonville city limit
167. Maury County, U.S. 412
173. Nashville, Trousdale Drive north of Grassmere Park Drive
179. Rutherford County, Sanbyrn Drive east of South Church Street
188. Nashville, Lebanon Pike east of Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage
190. Murfreesboro, Singer Lane
191. Mt. Juliet, Mt. Juliet Road north of Division Street
195. Nashville, County Hospital Road
199. Maury County, State Route 50 East
200. Dickson, Center Avenue downtown
203. Nashville, Andrew Jackson Parkway at Chandler Road
206. Greenbrier, Main Street at Old Greenbrier Pike
212. Nashville, Elm Hill Pike between Spence Lane and Massman Drive
213. Nashville, connector road near DuPont plant and north of Swinging Bridge Road in Old Hickory
215. Gallatin, Red River Road downtown
223. Franklin, Third Avenue South downtown
224. Gallatin, Water Avenue downtown
227. Greenbrier, Lights Chapel Road
234. Nashville, Robinson Road at Hurst Drive in Old Hickory
236. Nashville, Porter Road between Greenwood Avenue and Carter Avenue in east Nashville
238. College Grove, College Grove Road
249. Nashville, Elm Hill Pike near Arlington Avenue and Mount Olivet Cemetery
254. Columbia, Hampshire Pike/Seventh Street
263. Wilson County, Frank Baddour Parkway
264. Columbia, Rutherford Lane between Bradford Circle and Park Drive
265. Nashville, McGavock Pike between Lincoya Drive and Maplehurst Drive
270. Springfield, West Hillcrest Road south of Industrial Drive
272. Nashville, Old Hickory Boulevard near Center Street in Lakewood
275. Nashville, Stewarts Ferry Pike
281. Nashville, Fourth Avenue South between Houston Street and Hart Street
291. Maury County, State Route 50 West
292. Columbia, Cayce Lane
297. Murfreesboro, Rucker Road about 3.5 miles southeast of I-24
298. Nashville, Scott Avenue south of Straightaway Avenue in east Nashville
300. Montgomery County, Tiny Road near Goodlette Drive near the Kentucky line