(The following story by Kim Winnegge appeared on the Forum Web site November 28, 2007)
FARGO, ND – Country Greenery owner Alma Cater can look out her south window and see potential customers backed up at the stop light on Main Avenue and Fifth Street.
But if there is a train rumbling past north of her Moorhead building, Cater says those customers may become so frustrated they’ll bypass her store.
“I’ve seen cars lined up for the whole block, waiting for their light to change,” Cater said.
A new signaling system for the quiet zone project ties the operation of Fargo and Moorhead’s traffic signals into the railroad crossings. The signals first give a green light to the streets that cross the tracks to allow ample time to clear the tracks. Those traffic signals then stay red for the duration of a train’s crossing, which has caused some frustration for drivers intending to turn left or right.
Moorhead City Engineer Bob Zimmerman said the system doesn’t take into account vehicles intending to turn left or right.
The result has prompted delays in traffic, with some cars sitting in turning lanes for extended periods of time, Zimmerman said.
Most of Fargo-Moorhead’s intersections that fall within the quiet zone project are busy throughout the day, Zimmerman said.
Cater said the new signals have disrupted business.
“The signals have created problems getting our delivery services in and out, and I’ve had trouble getting to work myself,” she said. “It just holds you back there.”
Although the structural construction is complete, BNSF Railway still needs to finish work on its crossing signals before the project can be considered done.
Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger said his department has received complaints about the new system, with many residents assuming the signals are simply malfunctioning.
Ebinger said he has had additional patrols watching the intersections within the quiet zone.
“If we start having people getting their dander up and running red lights and making illegal turns, we’re going to end up with some traffic accidents and somebody getting hurt,” Ebinger said.
Cater said she’s seen a rise in traffic violations since the implementation of the signals.
“I see a lot of cars on the other side of Main Avenue held up for what it seems like forever,” Cater said.
The preemption signaling system, which was installed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and required by BNSF Railway, has posed annoyances for drivers along the railroad’s highways, Zimmerman said.
“In a perfect world, we would be able to accommodate every possible movement that someone would want to make,” he said. “It would be ideal if there would be one major street and one set of tracks.”
Moorhead City Council member Nancy Otto said that she has received complaints about the project’s flaws.
At times, Moorhead residents have reported traffic buildup from the Eighth Street stoplight from Main Avenue to McDonalds, about a block south away from the stoplight, Otto said.
“Anybody who has to cross the tracks notices this,” she said. “It’s certainly generated citizen complaints. It’s rather disappointing that those preemption devices have made traffic delays worse.”
Part of the problem is that this is the first time such a system has been tried out in the area, said MnDOT traffic engineer Tom Swenson.
The makeup of Fargo-Moorhead’s roadways in relation to how the railroad tracks run through the town is the main reason why traffic has been affected, Swenson said.
“This is the first one we’ve ever done so we have got a lot to learn regarding preemptions,” Swenson said. “We’ve got kind of a learning curve over there.”
BNSF has certain criteria regarding the quiet zone project, including disallowing any potential traffic from approaching the railroad, he said. “If we can keep it safe and make it work better, that’s what we want to do,” Swenson said.
Swenson also said he plans to schedule a meeting to meet with Moorhead and BNSF officials to discuss the problems with the system.
As for Cater, she has begun to devise new driving routes to work.
“It really takes quite a maze around town to find out how to eventually get to my own business,” Cater said. “Hopefully they’ll figure this out soon. It might be an accident waiting to happen.”
Readers can reach Forum reporter Kim Winnegge at (701) 241-5524