On Monday night, the Columbia City Council approved an agreement that outlines the removal of the railroad crossing over Business Loop 70 East. The agreement specifies the responsibilities of both the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the city in this process. According to a council memo, MoDOT will be responsible for repairing and maintaining the roadway, while the city’s railroad staff will remove the rails, crossing surface, support structures, and hardware.
The city is responsible for maintaining the railroad near its power plant, which has not been used since it stopped using coal as fuel. Over time, the crossing has deteriorated, leading to poor road conditions for drivers. The council manager and staff prepared the memo highlighting these issues.
MoDOT plans to resurface Business Loop 70 this year, and temporarily removing the railroad crossing is seen as reasonable given this context. The agreement with MoDOT also allows for the city to replace the crossing in the future if needed. Removing it would not result in additional expenses for the city as outlined in the proposed agreement.
The city does not anticipate using the railroad in any immediate future but will retain railroad signs, lights and markers for potential use later on. Continuing to maintain it would be costlier for them in long term due to its deteriorated state. In an unrelated incident reported by ABC 17 News earlier this month, a driver whose truck was damaged near