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Union Pacific Railroad Builds Fence To Prevent Accidents
Union Pacific Railroad Builds Fence To Prevent Accidents 11/13/12
amelnick@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News
November 13, 2012
ODESSA-The Cargo railroad crossing on Business 20 was once the most dangerous railroad crossing in Texas.
After multiple attempts to alleviate the problem, railroad officials said they believe they found the solution.
Union Pacific Railroad workers are busy building a 4,000-foot fence alongside Cargo Road in front of Jaguars Gold Club.
It is the latest attempt to keep trespassers away from the tracks.
Union Pacific Spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza told CBS 7 railroad crews multiple reported multiple slow downs and stops in the area due to people around or on the tracks, so the company decided to build a fence next to the tracks.
But some Odessa residents believe the fence won’t prevent accidents because many drivers do not control their speeds, and could break through the metal fence.
From March 2009 to July 2011, 72 cars were struck on the tracks; either abandoned or with a driver inside, and 13 actual vehicle and train collisions occurred in the past ten years.
As a result, Ector County Commissioners decided to close the Cargo Road railroad crossing in July 2011 prompting Union Pacific to eventually build a concrete barrier last December.
But the barrier did not stop people from crossing the tracks, so Espinoza said the best decision was to build a fence.
Espinoza said the fence should be complete by the end of this month.