Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today won the commitment of the Federal Rail Authority (FRA) to complete critical repairs to railroad tracks in Middletown. Constituents in the area brought the worn down tracks to Senator Gillibrand, who took their concerns to the FRA and urged them to make repairs to the Crawford Industrial Track at Railroad Avenue, Wisner Avenue Crossing and other locations in the area.
“Repairing aging infrastructure is one of the best things we can do to help get our economy back on track,” Senator Gillibrand said. “No one knows our roads, bridges and railways better than the New Yorkers who use them every day. I’ve always believed that some of the best ideas for policy come from the families and citizens it affects most. Middletown constituents brought these broken down rails to my attention, and I took their concerns to the FRA to make sure we get the repairs these tracks need.”
The Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), which owns and operates the railroad, committed to the FRA to make all necessary repairs at Railroad Avenue and expects to complete them by the end of September. NS also expects to have all missing crossbucks and emergency signage reinstalled at Cottage Street, Montgomery Street, Wickham Avenue and East Main Street in the same timeframe.
NS also committed to making all necessary repairs to the Wisner Avenue Crossing and expects to complete repairs during spring of 2010. Missing crossbucks and emergency signage at this location will be reinstalled with the other locations by the end of September.
Later this month, Senator Gillibrand’s staff will be holding a meeting with officials from the city and the railroad to discuss proposals for repairs needed at Wisner Avenue Crossing.