27 February 2008
Oops: CP Rail Crews Knock Down Crossing Arm
Winona Minnesota USA - A Canadian Pacific Railway crossing
arm collapsed over Franklin Street, causing the closure of the northbound traffic lane for about five hours Monday.
No one was hurt when the structure tumbled over, witnesses and CP rail workers said.
Winona State University senior Ezra Kazee was sitting on a campus shuttle bus when the incident happened at about 9:15 a.m. He said a
white truck with railroad workers inside backed into the pole, knocking it to the ground.
"I was really amazed by that," Kazee said. "I thought (the pole) would be sturdier."
CP spokesman Jeff Johnson confirmed a railway employee vehicle crashed into the pole, causing it to come down.
"Unfortunately, one of our vehicles just hit it," he said.
The tipped-over tower created an inverted "V" over the northbound traffic lane of Franklin Street. Kazee said
southbound traffic was able to swerve around the crossing lights lying in the road, while smaller autos going north were able to pass
beneath the "V." He said the shuttle bus wouldn't fit and was forced to turn around.
A representative at Winona Transit Service, which contracts the WSU shuttle bus system, said the route was not hindered during the day
as a result of the closure and carried on as usual.
Johnson said workers were able to begin diverting traffic right away and train traffic was never affected. He said the crossing tower
would not need to be replaced and was operational again Monday afternoon.
|
