Far Northwest Coalition

Snouffer Road RR Crossing

Thanks for your candid response !!!

By John Best

Get Rid of the Crossing

John Best's letter in the June 23, 1999 "ThisWeek in Worthington" newspaper prompted me to write this. I whole-heartedly agree with and support Mr. Best's comments and suggestions. Although I am not a resident near the railroad crossing in question, I live in Worthington and work in Dublin. At least twice a day, I have to contend with the traffic congestion caused by the I-270, SR 315, Hayden Run, etc. construction projects. Closing off another east-west link just to make what in my opinion is a cosmetic improvement, can not be justified. The only way I could support closing Snouffer is if a bridge or tunnel were built according to the city of Columbus' Northwest Plan.

In fact, I have long argued that railroad crossings in highly populated residential areas should not be allowed. I would like to see a state law enacted that would require converting a railroad crossing to an overpass/underpass or re-routing the tracks when a certain population density, say 250 residential units within a 1 mile radius of the crossing, is reached. It is extremely frustrating to crawl along in rush hour traffic only to be delayed even further by having to stop for a crossing train - sometimes to be followed by a second train, which isn't that uncommon! SPEND THE MONEY AND GET THE TRAINS OUT OF OUR WAY. The expenditure will be justified by the overall savings realized in reduced gasoline consumption, automobile wear and tear, and value of the drivers' time.

By Robert Fechter

Avoid congestion

The CSX crossing at Snouffer was there before the residents. We need railroads. However, we cannot afford to put underpasses at every railroad crossing. An underpass costs more than the entire widening of the road and takes longer. In fact CSX & Conrail tracts both run from Columbus to Marion, OH. Consolidations have eliminated many railroad tracts and perhaps in the future all the CSX crossings in NW Columbus will be eliminated in favor of Conrail. Therefore, let's not build an underpass on both Hard Road and Snouffer. Let's widen Smokey Row to four lanes and then either Snouffer or Hard Road to four lanes. I expect Hard Road is better suited to carry traffic from Riverside to 315. Therefore, let's focus on getting both Hard Rd & Smokey Row widened as soon as possible to carry twice the traffic and avoid any other traffic congestion improvements until these arteries are done. Of course there is a lot of opposition to any widening or traffic change and for this reason the public authorities are reluctant to proceed. They feel the residents bought into the traffic congestion. They have adjusted to it an accept it. Why change it? The residents are not angry enough to hire leaders and attend meetings. Just shut off their electricity for a month and see how quickly they can act. For now the public officials are indifferent to the traffic congestion in the NE because the citizens are undecided and indifferent. Of course a few are upset.
John Seiling, 1696 Woodbluff Drive, Woodbridge Green. PS Thanks for the new site and the news!

By John Y. Seiling

Corrected


Avoid congestion

June 24, 1999
The CSX crossing at Snouffer was there before the residents. We need railroads. However, we cannot afford to put underpasses at every railroad crossing. An underpass costs more than the entire widening of the road and takes longer. In fact CSX & Conrail tracks both run from Columbus to Marion, OH. Consolidations have eliminated many railroad tracks and perhaps in the future all the CSX crossings in NW Columbus will be eliminated in favor of Conrail. Therefore, let's not build an underpass on both Hard Road and Snouffer. Let's widen Smokey Row to four lanes and then either Snouffer or Hard Road to four lanes. I expect Hard Road is better suited to carry traffic from Riverside to 315. Therefore, let's focus on getting both Hard Rd & Smokey Row widened as soon as possible to carry twice the traffic and avoid any other traffic congestion improvements until these arteries are done. Of course there is a lot of opposition to any widening or traffic change and for this reason the public authorities are reluctant to proceed. They feel the residents bought into the traffic congestion. They have adjusted to it an accept it. Why change it? The residents are not angry enough to hire leaders and attend meetings. Just shut off their electricity for a month and see how quickly they can act. For now the public officials are indifferent to the traffic congestion in the NE because the citizens are undecided and indifferent. Of course a few are upset.
John Seiling, 1696 Woodbluff Drive, Woodbridge Green. PS Thanks for the new site and the news!