Eau Claire (WQOW) - Two
collisions on the tracks in about a week; luckily, no one was seriously hurt in
either case in Chippewa
County. Law enforcement
is hoping drivers are getting the message that rail traffic has increased. We
spoke with the Chippewa County Highway Department to find out more.
"Train traffic has
certainly increased in Chippewa
County, some for the
good, some for the bad," said Bruce Stelzner.
A car has been hit by a train twice
in the past eight days in Chippewa
County.
"As we've
experienced the increased rail traffic, we know that there's a frequency that's
going to be increased in terms of cars and trains, and trucks and trains. We certainly
want to provide as much notification to motorists over those issues and so does
the rail," said Stelzner.
Rail traffic is up because of the
booming frac sand industry. The county highway department has been talking
about the potential impact on safety for some time.
"Over the course of
the last year, we've been working on looking at those rail crossings, looking
at the signing. How reflective they are, and did it provide enough notice, and
is there enough notice to the public about these crossings," Stelzner
said.
And so far?
"We did find that
our signs are pretty compliant with state and federal laws. And the ones that
weren't, that we thought needed to be refreshed, we had those refreshed,"
said Stelzner.
While it continues to work with
local governments on certain intersections, the highway department says there's
only so much it can do.
"Motorists
have to take on some responsibility too. Motorists have to recognize that in
our county and elsewhere, rail traffic has increased. And there are more
opportunities for conflicts between vehicles and trains," Stelzner said.
The two collisions recently in Chippewa County happened less than 5 miles apart.
