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Area rail lines spruced up with stimulus funds

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By Elaine Morris Roberts, Staff Writer 3:37 PM Tuesday, August 25, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — Two rail lines, two rail crossings and 14 railroad bridges in Clark and Champaign counties will soon be rehabilitated with a little more than $1 million in federal stimulus funds awarded to the West Central Port Authority.

The work will be a mixture of routine and extraordinary maintenance, said WESTCO Secretary-Tresurer Thea Walsh.

Extraordinary maintenance, she said, “are things that come up that aren’t so routine, but need to be done for the business along the track and the safety of the motoring public.”

All repair locations are safe for travel.

The bidding process will begin soon and WESTCO intends to award the project by Sept. 17.

WESTCO is still waiting for the Ohio Department of Transportation to issue a disadvantaged business enterprises goal since the project includes federal funds, Walsh said.

The work, which was already scheduled before the stimulus funds were awarded, would have normally been funded by fees paid by companies using the tracks, but money is coming in more slowly during the recession.

“The project is about job creation and maintaining the lines which opens up future opportunities for companies to use the lines for business,” Walsh said.

Specific projects include:

• Urbana line track rehabilitation, about $486,000; to repair approximately five miles of track on the Urbana line from Maitland to Glen Echo.

•Urbana line bridge rehabilitation, about $277,000; to make minor repairs to 13 bridges in Urbana and one in Springfield.

•Mechanicsburg line track rehabilitation, about $207,000; to repair 1.8 miles of track on the Mechanicsburg line in Springfield from Linden to Lagonda avenues.

•Mechanicsburg grade crossing rehabilitation, $54,400; to repair two highway-rail grade crossings on the Mechanicsburg line in Mechanicsburg on Ohio 4 at railroad milepost 15.35 and 16.50.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.

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