Columbia City Council Agrees to Remove Deteriorating Railroad Crossing over Business Loop 70

The Columbia City Council has entered into an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to remove the railroad crossing over Business Loop 70 East at Monday night’s meeting. The agreement outlines the responsibilities of both parties 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 city manager and staff prepared the memo highlighting these issues.

MoDOT plans to resurface Business Loop 70 this year, and the temporary removal of the railroad crossing is seen as reasonable in light of this. The agreement with MoDOT also allows for the city to replace the crossing in the future if needed. The removal would not result in additional expenses for the city as outlined in the proposed agreement.

The city does not anticipate using the railroad in the near future but will retain railroad signs, lights and markers in case they are needed later on. Continuing to maintain