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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Norfolk Southern Railroad has multiple
3at-grade crossings on the south side of Centralia, including
4at-grade crossings at U.S. Route 51 for both northbound and
5southbound traffic; and
 
6    WHEREAS, When trains block the crossings, the vehicle
7delays are as long as 40 minutes and have caused problems for
8emergency responders by delaying and extending their response
9times; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Delays in providing emergency responders could
11mean the difference between life and death when an accident or
12illness occurs; and
 
13    WHEREAS, An agreement should be reached that will eliminate
14the hazards caused by the at-grade crossings; and
 
15    WHEREAS, It is of critical importance to eliminate the
16multiple at-grade crossings delays to emergence responders;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, Eliminating these delays would improve emergency
19response times and economic development in the affected areas
20of the City of Centralia, the City of Wamac, and the Village of

 

 

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1Central City; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we urge the Federal Railroad Administration, the Norfolk
5Southern Railroad, the Illinois Department of Transportation,
6the Illinois Commerce Commission, the City of Centralia, the
7City of Wamac, and the Village of Central City to work together
8to reach a solution that will eliminate the safety hazards
9created by the numerous at-grade crossings on the south side of
10Centralia, including at-grade crossings at U.S. Route 51 for
11both northbound and southbound traffic; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
13presented to Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator of the Federal
14Railroad Administration; James A. Squires, President of the
15Norfolk Southern Railroad; Ann L. Schneider, Secretary of
16Transportation; Doug Scott, Chairman of the Illinois Commerce
17Commission; Tom Ashby, Mayor of the City of Centralia; Jackie
18"Butch" Mathus, Jr., Mayor of City of Wamac; and Sharon
19Heitkamp, Mayor of the Village of Central City.