4m NEWS <strong>InMaricopa</strong>.<strong>com</strong><strong>March</strong> <strong>2013</strong>New urgency for grade separationBY ERIN ROMANA fatal motorcycle accident Feb. 27 leftmany Maricopa residents concernedfor their own safety and gave citycouncilmembers even more reason to pushfor a grade-separation at the intersectionof the Union Pacific railroad tracks andState Route 347.Maricopa resident Anita Turner saidshe has had a close call on the tracks andhas heard similar stories from others.“We were going to the high school andall of a sudden the barricades went downand I had to speed up,” she said. “The trainwas, seriously, right there.”Turner, a hairstylist at K’Bella Salonand Day Spa, said the barricades don’t<strong>com</strong>e down soon enough, which has beena hot topic in the salon since the fatalaccident.“I heard somebody say that thebarricades came down and the lightsweren’t even blinking,” she said. “Theyjust came down and there was the train.”The motorcyclist was killed when heapparently struck a descending barricadearm. The day of the accident, MaricopaPolice spokesman Ricardo Alvaradosaid the man, in his 50s, apparentlytried to beat the train and slid across thetracks before striking the backside of thebarricade.Eyewitness Lou Piccadaci said, “Thetrain came by five seconds later, not morethan five second later after he hit thatthing.”“I don’t think he had that much of awarning before those arms started <strong>com</strong>ingdown. And usually the arms <strong>com</strong>e downand then about a minute later the train’s<strong>com</strong>ing, but the train came awful quick.”When asked twice about barricaderegulations and timing in an emailexchange, Union Pacific Director ofCorporate Relations and Media AaronHunt only responded with a briefdescription of the motorcycle accident,saying a train was not involved.Comments on Facebook.<strong>com</strong>/<strong>InMaricopa</strong>show how concerned residents areabout the railroad crossing.“I have seen those barricades not <strong>com</strong>edown and the light still green … and a train<strong>com</strong>ing,” Tina Rivas <strong>com</strong>mented on thefatal motorcycle accident story. “I havecrossed those tracks 15 seconds before atrain came and the barricades were notdown.”According to the State of Arizona RailSafety and Security Resource Guide, theArizona Corporation Commission is responsiblefor inspecting railroad crossingwarning signals, train control signals anddevices to make sure they are in <strong>com</strong>pliancewith federal regulations.The guide also says one of the best waysto address railroad-crossing safety is to“reduce the number of at-grade crossings.”Chris Watson, assistant supervisor forA motorcyclist was killed Feb. 27 when he struck a descending railroad barricade.the Railroad Safety division of the ACC,said the <strong>com</strong>mission is still waiting forreports on the accident.“It’s still under investigation,” he said.“We are waiting for the documents.”Mayor Christian Price said the citycouncil is working on finding the funds tobuild an overpass for the tracks.“What if it had been a school bus fullof children? Or your mother or father?” hesaid. “At the end of the day, no life is worththat. That’s why we need an overpass.”He said the city council is puttingtogether a coalition to talk to electedrepresentatives in Washington, D.C.and explain why Maricopa needs to be apriority.In the meantime, he said the city isworking with the Arizona Departmentscott bartleof Transportation and Pinal County tocoordinate the traffic lights along StateRoute 347 to reduce driver frustrationsand prevent reckless behaviors near thetracks.“If people can drive through this townknowing they can drive at 35 mph or 40mph without hitting a red light, that easesthe stress a lot,” Price said.Paul Jepson, assistant to the citymanager, said it is human nature to getfrustrated and it causes people to try toget across the barricades.“We will eliminate that with a gradeseparation,” he said.Turner said she liked the idea of anoverpass.“It’d be nice to have something for thekids to walk or bike over,” she said.RECLINERS • BAR STOOLS • SOFAS • DINETTES • ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS • ACCESSORIES & MORE!MARICOPA’S MATRESS HEADQUARTERSQueen SetPlushJustInQueen SetPillow TopQueen SetPlushQueen SetPillow Top$249 $299 $349 $399Bamboo Coverwith Power EdgeBamboo Coverwith Power EdgeFoam Encased!Bamboo CoverFoam Encased!Bamboo CoverWe CarryAdjustable Beds!Factory DirectSPECIAL!$ 199Reg. $349Queen Pillow TopNEW!NEW!1776 N. Pinal Ave. • Casa Grande(520) 423-8237(Just south of Jones Auto Center) “SHOP US LAST & SAVE”
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