Stimulus Wishlist

Times-Picayune - Louisiana's share of stimulus pegged at $3.8 billion

Of that, $455 million is slated to go to bridge and road work and repairs. Here's some of the things I'd do with that if I was in charge of DoTD and wasn't hampered by pre-work things like environmental impact studies. (They're important, but not for hypothetical thinking.)

* Widening of Interstate 12 between Juban Road and I-10/I-59 to six lanes
* Putting gates and lights at all non-private rail crossings in the state
* Reconfiguration of the I-10/I-110 split in Baton Rouge
* Construction of an interchange between LA 1088 (Future LA 3241) and I-12 northeast of Mandeville
* Build a relief route for I-59 (designated as US 11) in eastern St. Tammany Parish (looking forward to hurricane season), utilizing the old US 11 routing if possible (it was good enough before) - US 11 can still cross the West Pearl co-signed with I-59 to save money

Now, obviously that kind of money might not be enough, especially with that I-10/110 split reconfiguration in there, but those are projects that I believe would drastically help traffic flow, especially in the Florida Parishes. That includes the relief route. I blogged last year about how hellish I-59 was, and I believe a relief route could at least make it a little easier to get the first important thing out of the way - getting the hell out of Louisiana when there's a hurricane coming. Designating it as US 11 just makes sense - it'd make that highway important here again.

As for the gates and lights suggestion, that's just my little pet crusade.

The epidemic spreads...

2 killed after train hits car in Edgard

So, another one. Another car trying to cross the tracks while a train is coming. Another two people killed, another child needlessly traumatized solely because they survived. Another report that no seat belts were being worn by the dead. Like a deer in headlights, the SUV seemingly froze as it hit the tracks... then boom. The SUV ended up being thrown nearly 150 feet, and all three passengers were ejected. The crossing had nothing to warn of the approach of the train, solely having a pair of crossbucks letting passing traffic know that train tracks were indeed present. There were no gates, no lights, no bells. Even as the engineer blew his horn, the SUV just sat there...

Louisiana is one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to train/car collisions. Most of our crossings have only a pair of crossbucks, no safety measures. No gates, no lights, no sound. You just have to hope that you can hear the horn in time. Our all-knowing Legislature has done all of jack shit about this situation. Our local officials don't seem to know what they're doing about anything, and go with the cheapest solutions as a rule. Not the most inexpensive... the cheapest. There's a huge difference.

Seriously, is there anything more "shovel-ready" than "Mount gates and lights on all rail crossings in the state"? I'm sure that would be a nice shot in the arm for a depressive economy.

Until then, more lives will end and even more will be ruined as collateral damage.

Old Jefferson: Passenger vehicle vs. train... again.

NOLA.com - Amtrak train hits pick-up truck in Old Jefferson

(Actually, the passenger vehicle was a van... but who cares?)

I'm sure you can guess the train that was involved... well, if you're certain, then tell me. Vegas odds have it being the "City of New Orleans" Amtrak line from Chicago, though - the same route involved with many lethal train vs. car tangles in Tangipahoa Parish over the last few years.

This time, though, you can't blame the train. Can't blame the railroad, can't even blame DOTD. The van driver decided to show just how smart he was and try to bypass a lowered railroad gate. Instead of passing the train, the train clipped him and sent the vehicle rolling for 50 feet. The van eventually settled on its roof near a gas marker.

Real intelligent, smart guy. Instead of waiting for the train, he caused an even bigger tie-up on LA 48. I hope he heard the rubberneckers cursing and laughing at him all the while. I also hope he loses his license for this act of stupidity... but you know how things are. He'll probably sue Amtrak and win instead.

Independence, LA: 2 dead in car/train collision

The Advocate: Amtrak train in 2 collisions; 2 die, 1 hurt

I'll spare you the gory excerpt from the story, just go read it. The fatal collision occurred at a private crossing. It was marked by cross bucks and a yield sign. I saw nothing mentioned about a barrier, though. (Edit: Found here that there were indeed no lights or barriers at the crossing in Louisiana. - T) The train was attempting to signal the car with its whistle, to no avail. Over the past few years, if there's one thing drivers in Tangipahoa have proven, it's that they have no clue how to stop at a railroad crossing unless you add barriers of some sort to the mix.

There was also a wreck beforehand involving the same train, up near McComb, MS. That one yielded a non-fatal injury. It didn't say in the story what condition that crossing was in. (Edit: There are stop signs at the Mississippi crossing in question. - T) There's no word out of McComb yet and the stories out of Baton Rouge and New Orleans say little about that one other than the injury, so I won't assume that one was due to driver negligence until I know for sure.

The same train route was also involved in a collision near Jackson, MS last week with a garbage truck, hospitalizing six.

It's obvious that Louisiana needs to redouble its efforts to educate the driving public about railroad crossings. It wouldn't hurt Mississippi, either. Also, both states need to look into these crossings and improve them where necessary. You can't count on people to resist the temptation to beat the trains. Obviously cross bucks and yield signs aren't enough, even at these rural crossings. What's obviously needed is something to catch the driver's attention even more, like flashing lights and barriers.

Until then, many more people will die at these crossings. For some, it will be due to their own idiocy.