Franklin Park gets $8M from federal government to fix train crossings
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Plagued for more than a decade with issues at their train crossings, suburban Franklin Park finally got the attention of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
And this week, the feds announced they'll be sending $8 million to help. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey digs into the problem and what it will take to fix it.
A train has been stopped for 10 minutes and there's no sign of starting up any time soon and traffic is backing up. The average time these crossings are blocked is more than 35 minutes, every day.
"It's been a few minutes. The train is gone. Are we waiting for another train," wondered driver Tony Aqualone.
This a frustratingly familiar site in Franklin Park.
Many of the trains coming into the Bensenville Yards, west of Franklin Park, are too long to come through, so they frequently have to stop.
And those delays can range anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours.
Not only is it inconvenient, but cars also try to reverse and turn around and that's dangerous.
Mayor Barrett Pedersen shared this video with us showing a group of kids from the nearby high school climbing underneath the stopped train to cross the tracks.
Locals told me this happens all the time.
After years of studies, letter writing, and pushes from lawmakers the probable got the attention of the federal government which is now pledging $8 million to build an underpass.
"The moral of the story is: The answer is always no unless you ask," said Village of Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen.
Mayor Pedersen guesses residents won't be able to use it for another eight or nine years, but said this is very welcome news.
"I mean there is more danger in Franklin Park than in most intersections in the Chicago area, so we're very pleased we're able to get a remedy to our challenge here," Pedersen said.
