Safety Upgrades Coming for Harris Railroad Crossing

CARROLL CO. (October 30) — Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler released updates regarding the Harris Road and CSX railroad crossing where three Carroll Countians tragically lost their lives on August 13 and September 6. These updates followed an in-depth field review of the railroad crossing involving stakeholders from Carroll County, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), CSX, Crouch Engineering and Sain Associates.

After the field review, TDOT and CSX committed, contingent on final approval, to install caution lights and gates (crossing arms) on each side of the railroad track. Additionally, the already-installed advanced warning signage will be replaced with larger signage. These installations stand at no charge to the county, as TDOT will fully fund both installations through a federal program.

Vegetation cleanup around the railroad crossing is allowed at the discretion of the property owners. Carroll County leaders were approved to proceed with this cleanup, working with property owners and possibly the Highway Department to clear visibility. A CSX flagman is required to join the cleanup process.

The Tennessee Highway Department made a few requests at the meeting, which were agreed upon. One request was for the Carroll County Electric Department to install a power pole to supply the new lights and gates.

CSX will proceed with their survey of the railroad track, followed by their design and estimate. Each process could take up to 30 days.

Typically, this process takes roughly 18 months, but there is a process in place to expedite each step. Mayor Butler said a six-month range was consistently thrown around during the meeting.

“As with anything that involves federal entities, a State department and local government, this process has been slow and will seem slow as we progress,” said Butler. “I appreciate TDOT’s desire to push this forward.”

Butler publicly thanked Carroll County Chief Deputy Joel Pate and Carroll County Highway Department road supervisors Ronnie Wade and Ricky Scott for their involvement and leadership in this process.

TDOT will provide a formal report for the field review soon.