A decision by the Newton City Commission Tuesday may alleviate some of those train woes.

Commissioners gave approval for the Kansas Department of Transportation to conduct a study and complete a project that could include upgrading railroad crossings on Main Street, First Street, Broadway and Southwest 14th Street.

Al Cathcart, coordinating engineer with KDOT, said the city commission's approval of the project, which will be paid for with federal safety funds, ensures the project likely will move forward.

Cathcart said any reconstruction of the crossings would include sensors that detect where a train is on the tracks and how fast it is moving, ensuring no long waits for trains that are not blocking a crossing.

But the main issue with all four crossings is safety.

The crossing on Main Street recently was ranked by the Federal Railroad Administration as the most dangerous in Kansas, based on the number of automobiles and trains that cross it per day.

"It's a multiple track crossing, and for multiple track crossings in today's environment, we need to have gates as well as flashing lights," Cathcart said.

The other dangerous issue with the Main Street crossing, he said, is the left-hand turning lanes that allow drivers to stop on the tracks while waiting to turn onto Fourth Street. With the Main Street reconstruction, those left-hand turns will be eliminated, and medians will be placed between northbound and southbound lanes on both the south and north side of the tracks.

There also could be protected turning onto Fifth Street.

The other major improvement would be adding concrete between the rails, making the crossings smoother.

Another issue to be resolved is if the city wants to raise the maximum speed allowed for trains to travel through town. The current speed limit is 20 mph, and that could be raised to as high as 30 mph.

Cathcart estimated the cost of the Main Street improvements between $750,000 and $1 million, and said the city could expect the project to be completed within a year.

"The bottom line in all of this is safety," Cathcart said.

Approval of the study comes at an opportune time for drivers as Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad superintendent of operations, Kansas Division Ed Cobean said that while 12 to 15 trains currently cross the Main tracks in a 24-hour-period, that number is expected to increase to as many as 22 trains a day.

That increase is a direct result of Amtrak trains traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. The trains will not stop in Newton but will pass through it. Cobean said he expects that number to increase within the next three months.

Commissioner Todd Loescher said although he's heard dissenting remarks about the improvements, the fact that they will be at no cost to the city, among other things, make the proposal attractive.

The biggest complaint he's heard is the medians which won't allow turning onto Fourth.

"There's a trade-off. We can have less down time and better crossings in exchange for putting those medians in," Loescher said.

Mayor Marge Roberson said she's hoping the city is being proactive in allowing the railroad study to move forward.

"We are very much at risk for a devastating accident. I was one that was dragging my heels and brought in screaming and yelling, but I've gotten behind (this project)," Roberson said.

In other action from Tuesday's meeting:

Pastor Vern Bender asked commissioners for the 25th consecutive year, according to his calculation, to support homeless people in Newton by allotting money to the cause.

Also speaking on the topic of homelessness was Penny Dugan, who works for the Nehemiah Project in Newton. Dugan said space could be made available, at some point, in a portion of the former Axtell Hospital next to Axtell Clinic on East Broadway.

"It seems that there is a ... need, and it seems as a city we could be a little bit proactive," Dugan said. "I think our community is willing to work together. We have a lot of resources here."

Dugan said she's had several homeless people ask for her help. She asked commissioners if a task force to study the issue could be formed and gave commissioners information on the issue.

Commissioners agreed to study the information Dugan had provided.

• Commissioners will have a work session at 5 p.m. Jan 14 to discuss sewer and sanitation rates, which have not been raised since 1991. More information will be provided by the Kansan prior to that meeting.

   

• A resolution was authorized for the paving of Plum Street from 16th Street to 17th Street. Bids will be received at 2 p.m. Jan. 13.

   

• Commissioners approved a request for an order of vacation, which will close an alleyway behind a small strip mall at 12th and Oak Street. The approval will allow Wenger Oil to build a new gas station just east of the current strip mall. A representative from Wenger Oil also said the company will remove trees and other debris from behind the property. The company currently is negotiating to acquire more property from its current owners.

   

• The final plat was approved for the replatting of the Newton Outlet Mall Addition. The replatting splits the platted area into three areas. It will split the area behind and in front of the mall into separate plats. No indication was given as to what will be done with the newly platted areas.

   

• Commissioners approved a plat for Newton Industrial Park 2nd Addition, which will allow developable lots to become available at the industrial park on Spencer Road. A contract for engineering services also was signed with Certified Engineering Design. The final result will allow available lots already platted with water and sewer service, a recruiting tool for the Harvey County Economic Development Council.

   

• Commissioners approved the recommendation of the Newton/North Newton Area Planning Commission for the requested rezoning of Jeannette Place from an R-3 zone to a PUD zone. The change would allow a multi-unit housing development in the area. Jeannette Place is south of West First Street and east of West Road near the Royer West Housing Addition.

   

• A bid was approved and a contract was awarded to Nowak Construction Co. for $93,777.50 for water and sewer line extension in Stratford Addition-Phase 6.

   

• A bid was approved and a contract was awarded to Bru-Den Construction for $67,801 for sanitary sewer lines in Westwood Addition.

• A bid was approved and a contract was awarded to Kansas Paving Inc. for $216,305.10 for Windward Drive extension. The contract will extend Windward Drive from its current dead end in the Windward Housing Addition.

• Commissioners approved an ordinance extending the franchise of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for an additional six months to allow time to negotiate a longer-term franchise extension.