Turner, who works at the nearby Cidercade, has to cross the train tracks before shifts. He’s felt how the cracked concrete panels under the tracks jostle his car.
“It’s a scary patch to hit,” he said. “You don’t wanna get stuck.”
Turner isn’t alone in his concerns. Fort Worth’s Transportation and Public Works Department has fielded complaints from both residents and city employees about the dilapidated railroad crossing. Those complaints prompted the Fort Worth City Council to approve a $234,106 rehabilitation agreement with Fort Worth & Western Railroad.
Lara Ingram, a spokesperson for the transportation department, said the railroad crossing is past the point where minor repairs would help the situation. Rails have started sinking below the street surface, and the road leading up to the crossing is uneven with potholes.
Under the agreement, the city will put forward $106,974 to share the cost of materials, and the railroad company will provide $127,132 to pay for materials, labor and equipment. Fort Worth is responsible for any excess costs.
The money allocated by the city will come out of the 2022 bond program, which provides funding for railroad safety improvements. That bond program set aside $6 million for railroad crossing upgrades.
Ingram said the West Berry crossing is at the top of the city’s fix-it list. Now that the City Council has approved the agreement, city staff will execute a contract for the work and figure out a construction schedule. The exact timing of the rehabilitation project is to be determined, but the city will make a public announcement ahead of any action.
Turner said while he’s in favor of improving that crossing, he worries the necessary construction will worsen existing traffic jams.
Ingram said the construction will take four days of full street closure, from a Friday to a Monday, to complete. Because it is part of a surface improvement program, rather than a long-term capital improvement project, it will take considerably less time than some other closures, Ingram said.
The city has agreed to provide a traffic control plan, barricades and flags as needed during construction.
“Once it’s fixed, I’m about it,” Turner said.
Keyla Holmes is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at keyla.holmes@fortworthreport.org. Emily Wolf is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at emily.wolf@fortworthreport.org
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details.
