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Many AL towns getting railroad

MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Department of Transportation announced today that funding to install new highway-railway grade crossing signals and gates has been approved at the following places:

• The Piney Chapel Road crossing in the city of Athens in Limestone County
• The Garden City Heights Street and County Road 530 crossings in the city of Hanceville in Cullman County.
• The County Road 69 crossing in the city of Stevenson in Jackson County.
• The Phelan Road crossing in the city of Cullman in Cullman County.

CSXT will inform ALDOT of installation dates after a reasonable time for procurement of equipment and supplies.

The goal of installing this safety equipment is to save lives by increasing the number of active signals at the 3,200 public crossings statewide.

In 2008, there were 67 accidents involving vehicles and trains in Alabama in which five people were killed and 39 injured.

Nationally in 2008, there were 2,398 highway-rail incidents resulting in 287 fatalities. ALDOT's mission is to provide a safe and efficient transportation network across Alabama.

For additional information, visit www.dot.state.al.us  

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