(Stoddard, Wisconsin – July 26, 2011)
The Wisconsin State Commissioner of Railroads this week ordered Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to properly repair two crossings of Center Street and BNSF tracks in Stoddard, WI.
BNSF installed new concrete pads on its two mainline tracks through town in 2010, but left crushed rock approaches to the crossing with a 3 inch drop. Meanwhile, the same street’s crossing of a nearby spur track equipped with a timber plank and asphalt crossing was declared to be in serious disrepair.
The ruling gives BNSF until October 31 to both provide a proper paved approach to the main crossings and to completely replace the spur track crossing. Doug Wood, the Commissioner’s Office Legal Counsel, said the agency determines the adequacy of Wisconsin railroad crossings and enforces regulations, hearing “about a half dozen rough crossing cases a year”. BNSF Spokeswoman Amy McBeth said the work would be done by this fall.
