MANNFORD, Okla. — There’s a potential fix on the way for train delays in one Green Country community. The Federal Railroad Administration received more than 26,000 complaints of blocked railroad crossings in the last year through their Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter.
Some of those complaints are from Mannford, where drivers on Basin Road have one way in and one way out. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation got a $1.2 million grant on Jan. 10 to help design a fix for the problem.
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'You’re just at their mercy': Mannford train delays drivers
A local childcare center says it would be a big help.
As the tiny feet shuffle along the hallway at Alpha Sprouts Christian Day School, Assistant Director Kelsey Vaughan keeps everything in order behind the scenes.
“We get to love on them, and it’s a great place to be,” said Kelsey Vaughan.
For the 47 students in their care, the day-to-day routine is set. One thing the school can’t control is the train.
“I think of a mile-long traffic jam and probably about 45 minutes until you’re going to cross the railroad tracks,” said Vaughan.
In this cell phone video Vaughan showed 2 News, you can see the train and the long line of cars waiting.
She says, unfortunately, it’s all too common.
“We had to open the school late one morning because we couldn’t get through,” said Vaughan. “It’s a waiting game for sure.”
A new Federal Railroad Administration Grant could help — as part of more than $1 billion in grants passed out across the country,
the Oklahoma Department of Transportation got $1.2 million to help design solutions for the Basin Road Crossing, including considering alternative ways in and out.
“That’s exciting,” said Vaughan. “That would be amazing to have another entrance and exit to be able to come to this side of town.”
The goal of the planning grant is to keep drivers safe, ease congestion, and make it easier for an emergency response.
“My hope this session is that we can get this legislation filed and hopefully provide some funding to allow ODOT to come in and build a new access road into the basin that Creek County will then be able to maintain for the long term,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert.
That bill is currently being drafted. The legislative session starts next month.
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