Lock Haven City Council says no to Norfolk Southern closure request for five railroad crossings

LOCK HAVEN, PA – Lock Haven City Council Monday night was adamant in rejecting a request from Norfolk Southern asking for the closure of five street crossings on the railroad’s line through the city.

Council voted unanimously to turn down the request received last week. Everyone who spoke Monday night was against the proposal. They included City Fire Chief Tyler Wooding, Lock Haven EMS Chief Gerard Banfill and former city fire chief Bob Neff, all of whom were in attendance to strongly oppose the request. Chief Wooding expressed concern about response time in the event of emergencies, a view echoed by EMS Chief Banfill. Former chief Neff said there had only been a couple crossing accidents in his 38 years of service; he called Norfolk Southern’s safety concerns misguided.

Mayor Joel Long echoed those comments, stating “I don’t see this as being a benefit.” He read a letter from former city manager/engineer Rich Marcinkevage who said recent improvements at the existing crossings has made them “much safer than any time in their history.” Clinton County Sheriff Kerry Stover expressed similar sentiments in a statement. Council member Steve Stevenson expressed concern about all the dead-ends which would result with the closings and fellow councilman Rick Conklin said the closings could impair future development along Walnut Street.

The closing request had come last week through a letter from Norfolk Southeran’s Manager of Public Safety in Atlanta, GA. Ernest “Leon” Jackson said the railroad was pursuing “permanent closures of one or more” of five city crossings. These are on Fourth St., Liberty St., Vesper St., Grove St. and Henderson St.

If City Council had given its concurrence, only remaining crossings, other than Paul Mack Boulevard, would be on Bellefonte Avenue and Hanna, Bald Eagle and W. Water Streets.

The Jackson letter cited safety as a consideration in the request and said Norfolk Southern supports a Federal Rail Administration goal of consolidating 25% of the nation’s public at-grade crossings. It said all railroads have been tasked by the FRA to work with local communities to eliminate “redundant crossings.”

The letter noted that three of the crossings are less than a thousand feet from the overhead Paul Mack Boulevard crossing and FRA data shows Pennsylvania accounted for the third most public crossing incidents on Norfolk Southern lines in 2022.