(erielack) More EL reborn in Ohio?

[Kevin DeGroff <kdegroff_@_starpower.net>]

I caught this off the DT&I group.  It appears that the I&O (who own the DT&I) might be rerouted
westward onto the EL main at SJ in Lima OH, and use the EL to a new connector with the B&O
west of town.  Apparently, the city is trying to get the I&O out of town rather than pay for a
new bridge  to eliminate a bad road crossing somewhere on the I&O in town.

The reference to the new route running parallel to Micheal St. is the EL trackage.

The story also mentions that CSX was trying to tear up the relevant stub of the EL, but the city is
trying to get them to hold off until this plan is thought through.

Wasn't this stub of the EL from the B&O east through SJ used by CSX to serve a huge BP refinery
east of town?  Who serves that refinery now?



- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Planners want to reroute trains

  By JIM SABIN
  • jsabin_@_limanews.com •
  419-993-2091

  LIMA - If the state won't pay for a new overpass at the Bellefontaine Road rail crossing, local officials hope the
  state and railroads will consider another option - reroute the trains.

  Representatives of Lima, Allen County and the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission have met with
  officials from CSX, Indiana & Ohio and Norfolk Southern railroads, along with the state departments of
  transportation and development and the Ohio Rail Development Commission, to push the idea.

  By rerouting north-south trains off the Indiana & Ohio line that crosses Bellefontaine and Fourth Street, among
  others, the total cost to ease train/car delays would come down considerably, said Lima Public Works Director
  Howard Elstro.

  "If we can't reroute the road, let's see if it's feasible to reroute the train," Elstro said.

  The idea has come up before, he added. "Maybe 30 years ago. That's the rumor," he said.

  But the key is getting all three railroads to agree, which could take quite some time.

  The city wants to reroute Indiana & Ohio traffic to a parallel line to the west. A northbound train would turn west
  onto a CSX track that runs parallel to Michael Avenue, then turn north again near Main Street. The dual track,
  owned by CSX and Norfolk Southern, meets up with the Indiana & Ohio track again just north of Bluelick Road.

  Finally, another connection between the tracks just south of Bluelick would eliminate the need for a second
  overpass at Bluelick Road.

  All told, the project could save some $16 million over the cost of other ideas that have been floated, Elstro said.
  The city has been trying to get an overpass at Bellefontaine Avenue and another at South Main Street, and the
  county is interested in a pair of overpasses at the Bluelick Road intersections just west of Sugar Street.

  The overpasses alone would cost some $40 million, according to estimates. The new approach comes it at about
  $23.9 million, including the Main Street overpass and one at Bluelick Road, Elstro said.

  Upgrades of the railways would also be needed, along with a way to switch from the CSX track to the combined
  track at Main Street.

  Complicating matters is a request by CSX recently to stop using the stretch along Michael Avenue. The Lima City
  Planning Commission approved that request, but is still encouraging CSX to consider the rerouting proposal.

  Elstro said the three railroads agreed to find an engineering firm to study the feasibility of the idea. There is no
  timetable for the project.

  If the project does happen, the north-south Indiana & Ohio railway between Michael Avenue and the National
  Lime and Stone Quarry near the Ottawa River would be abandoned, Elstro said. The quarry, Nickles Bakery and
  the Ford Motor Co. Lima Engine Plant use the Indiana & Ohio line, he said.

  The abandoned railroad right-of-way could then be used to expand Sugar Street from Findlay Road to Kibby
  Street, Elstro added.

  The city has been looking for a way to get traffic around Bellefontaine Avenue because traffic to and from Lima
  Memorial Hospital often gets hung up. The crossing also forces the Lima Fire Department to travel miles to get
  across the tracks when a train is present.

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