Linn County looking at crossing upgrades

CEDAR RAPIDS - Linn County officials are considering possible upgrades to a railroad crossing where a fatal collision occurred about a month ago.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors on Monday discussed a request from the Otter Creek Township board of trustees to address visibility issues at the crossing, which is located on Arabian Road just southwest of Alburnett.

'It's just a really bad interaction with the railroad tracks, there's no visibility, it needs to be opened up a little bit,” Scott Stick, chairman of the township board, said after the meeting.

Embankments and thick brush where Arabian Road intersects with the Canadian National Railroad tracks make it difficult to see oncoming trains.

Shortly after the Supervisors' Monday meeting, Supervisors Brent Oleson and John Harris, along with an official with the Secondary Roads Department, went out to survey the intersection.

No official decisions have been made, but Oleson said he would consider updated signs - some of them are old and faded - and possibly adding more signs to both the east and west sides of the intersection.

'There could be a lot more signage there,” he said.

But Oleson added that it would be difficult to address the embankments without incurring major costs.

The road carries fewer than 100 vehicles a day, with most of those area residents who are familiar with the intersection, Oleson said.

On Oct. 2, 44-year-old Scott Blackford of Marion died after his pickup truck collided with a train at the intersection.

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said Monday he still is awaiting a toxicology report on the incident, but he didn't expect any major updates to the case.

Gardner said it appeared Blackford, who was driving a pickup towing a flatbed trailer loaded with a skid steer, attempted to stop his vehicle before the collision.

If the county updates and adds signs, the Secondary Roads Department likely could do so without needing supervisor approval. No dollar amount was available without knowing how many signs and their size.