La Grange Railroad Crossings 'Subpar': Official

LA GRANGE, IL – A La Grange trustee on Monday said the eastside Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad's local crossings are "subpar."

At a Village Board meeting, Trustee Beth Augustine said she looked at all the local crossings – 47th Street, East Avenue, Cossitt Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Shawmut Avenue.

The crossings at Shawmut and East, she said, are "particularly terrible" because they have no sidewalks on either side. Those crossings with sidewalks are crumbling, she said.

Residents are seeking upgrades to the railroad crossing at Cossitt Avenue. A village trustee said problems exist at all the local Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad crossings in town. (Google Maps)

By contrast, a railroad crossing to the north in La Grange Park is "gorgeous," she said. And she said she had no issues with the east-west BNSF Railway crossings in town.

She urged the village to put pressure on the Hammond, Indiana-based Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad to improve its local crossings.

At a board meeting earlier this month, resident Bessie Boyd, who lives in the 200 block of Sawyer Avenue, described the Cossitt crossing as "very bumpy" and having "big holes."

At the time, Rick Colby, the village's public works director, said the railroad planned to repair the crossing in September. He said the village was trying to coordinate sidewalk improvements with the railroad.

At Monday's meeting, another resident, Brian Opyd, who lives in the 100 block of Eighth Avenue, said he has been asking about the Cossitt crossing for five years.

"I would love to be able to see families go across there walking with a stroller without having to enter the middle of the street. That's a current challenge on the south side of that crossing," said Opyd, president of the board for the Park District of La Grange. "I know there is work going on behind the scenes to make that happen. I truly do appreciate it."

Colby said the railroad remains open to improvements.

In an interview Tuesday, Eduardo Garcia, the railroad's public works manager, confirmed his company would replace the crossing at Cossitt in September, using Illinois Commerce Commission money. The pedestrian crossing on the south side will be extended, he said.

As for the other local crossings, Garcia said he would have to check with the department dealing with tracks.

The crossings for the BNSF Railway, including this one at Brainard Avenue, are better than those for the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, La Grange Trustee Beth Augustine said Monday. (Google Maps)