COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV — In a triangular section of the south end of Council Bluffs, near the Union Pacific railyard, neighbors can get completely cut off from the rest of the city when long trains railroad block crossings. So, what are the solutions?
- “Everything we do in the fire service is based on time,” said Council Bluffs Fire Chief Justin James. He says his squads have had to create backup plans so they can reach people in an emergency.
- "The biggest thing is definitely making sure that, at any one given time, especially in that triangle, one of those crossings is always open,” said community volunteer, Shawna Anderson with Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County.
- "Rather than fight against the railroad in a losing battle, his advice was to work with the railroad, find common ground," said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh.
SEE PREVIOUS STORY | Council Bluffs neighbors worried, frustrated by long trains and wait times at railroad crossings
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
South-enders in Council Bluffs get stuck behind trains all the time. Sometimes, even for hours.
Shawna Anderson: “I’ve heard 'triangle of death', I’ve also heard the 'iron triangle'"
I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel.
In my previous story, I told you about the concerns neighbors have about safety and getting blocked in or out of their neighborhood for long periods of time, but there are neighbors working on solutions.
It's been an issue for decades, especially in a triangular section of the neighborhood, near the Union Pacific railyard, which can get completely cut off when long trains block crossings.
“Everything we do in the fire service is based on time,” said Council Bluffs Fire Chief Justin James.
He says his squads have had to create backup plans so they can still reach people in an emergency.
But even with options, they can lose time, when seconds matter most.
“If you’re going to delay us. It’s going to cause an impact,” James said.
"The biggest thing is definitely making sure that, at any one given time, especially in that triangle, one of those crossings is always open,” said community volunteer, Shawna Anderson with Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County.
She is one of many people in Council Bluffs pushing the city and the railroad to fix the problem.
“I can’t imagine being stuck there for like an hour, not being able to just get home,” Anderson said.
I met with Mayor Matt Walsh, who told me state and local ordinances requiring trains to not block crossings for extended periods, "have no teeth" because trains are federally regulated.
So, he's hoping to broker a local deal with UP.
"My experience with them recently has been that they're very amenable to meeting and talking about solutions," the mayor said.
Walsh says one possible solution is for the UP railyard master to limit the number of crossings blocked and for how long.
In a statement, the railroad told me: "Union Pacific understands the inconveniences and frustrations that come with blocked crossings, and we are working with local officials and others in Council Bluffs to identify solutions that will work for both the community and the railroad."
Walsh is also exploring technology that would alert drivers to blocked rail crossings, but it would be on the taxpayers’ dime. The railroad told him it won’t pay because then it’d be on the hook in every community.
An official in Houston, Texas — which uses the technology — had some advice for Council Bluffs leaders.
"Rather than fight against the railroad in a losing battle, his advice was to work with the railroad, find common ground," said Walsh.
Anderson says her organization isn't anti-railroad: "I mean, it's our heritage, look we're at the railroad museum."
Walsh said: "I think we're, pun intended, on the right track."
The mayor also praised the civility of everyone involved in finding a resolution.
