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Last updated on Sunday, September 2, 2012
(WASHINGTON) - The Daviess County Commissioners are mulling the closure of a section of a road near Plainville for a new railroad siding.
Nate Smith Washington Times-Herald, reported representatives from the Indiana Southern Railroad asked to close a portion of Division Line Road near CR 900N for a $2.1 million siding near its main line.
Steve Hefley with Indiana Southern said the siding would service Boyd Grain's Plainville Mill along with the Bear Run coal mine and the Duke Energy plant at Edwardsport.
He went on to say this siding was originally approved to be located near Elnora in 2009, but the company decided to move it to Plainville.
The siding is being built by a $1.6 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. The company is funding the other $500,000 for the siding. There is no other land to purchase for the line as it falls within the railroad's right-of-way.
Hefley proposed closing Division Line Road where the railroad line crosses it, just south of Plainville, and putting in a turnaround on the north side of the road. There would be a barricade on the south side of the county road.
Commissioners were optimistic with the proposal, but wanted more space for the turnaround.
Bids for the project begin in two to three weeks, with construction to begin in October. Commissioners were open to the idea of closing the road, but wanted to hear from property owners first.
According to county mapping data, most of the land around the crossing is owned by Divine Farms, Inc. John Divine said he just heard about it and said he would "be interested to hear more about it."
During the meeting, Indiana Southern said they would be able to consider making the crossing a farm gate where they and the farmer in the adjoining property would have access to the siding.
The crossing is set to be discussed at the commissioner's next meeting on Sept. 10.
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