Odd cantilever crossbuck mount

[SirKrunch]

I don't quite understand this one... the crossbuck mounted on the cantilever is basically (at least to me) backwards... to where it's somewhat obscured when looking at it driving toward the approach signal... however it's clear view if you are looking at the backside of the cantilever across the crossing. Kinda weird?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 3,,0,-3.28
Nice overkill job on a two lane road too.

[mlgillson]

That's a brand new crossing. US 71 was grade separated at that location.

[Robert_Gift]

Interesting!
Trying to make the crossbuck appear lower in one's view - as is accomplished by placing traffic signals on the opposite (far) side of an intersection?

I remember 4-way traffic signals suspended in the very middle of the intersection.
They were difficult to see.
Even worse were signals on the NEAR side of the intersection.
I recall a little prism-like device which mounted on the vehicle dash.
It allowed one to more easily see the signal above without having to lean forward and look up to try to read the signal.

[SirKrunch]

Funny how many crossings in Iowa lately have gone from grade separated to at grade...
"Oh... it's a low use line, it'll likely be abandoned soon enough... instead of bridge repairs, let's just make it a crossing."
And after the crossing is built...
"What? The line was bought? Increased traffic? AW !"

[Robert_Gift]

Funny how many crossings in Iowa lately have gone from grade separated to at grade...
"Oh... it's a low use line, it'll likely be abandoned soon enough... instead of bridge repairs, let's just make it a crossing."
And after the crossing is built...
"What? The line was bought? Increased traffic? AW !"

I don't understand.
Why, if a bridge is over the track, do they go to theffort and expense of removing the bridge and making it a "level' crossing?

Too allow the east-west road south of the crossing to intersect 71 better?

[SirKrunch]

Well, think of it though... the bridge will always need money put in to maintain it... whether or not there is a track or not below it. If there's a chance the line may be scrapped before too long anyway... better to just save the money, especially if the bridge has to be rebuilt anyway. Interstate 35 comes to mind to me... where there are many bridges that were built and need to be maintained that the railroads have been abandoned many years ago. Now granted, with an interstate that option did not exist... it had to be grade separated... But still. Same thing happened with the old EX-UP now IARR over by Albion. The highway overpass had to be replaced, and instead of building another bridge, the state opted to bring the highway down to grade instead, as the UP had the line in Cat 1 status and had been talking about abandoning the line for a couple years. There was only one active shipper on the line at Eldora at the time that at best received 2 cars per month. Otherwise the line was only being used for car storage North of Eldora... Hence why a grade crossing with all the (e)bells and whistles was instead constructed. Almost a year later, the IARR was formed, and purchased the line from UP. Blah blah blah...

[Brian556]

Appearently this post has evolved into covering three seperate subjects.

As for grade separations being eliminated, we have a situation like this in Denton, Tx. When Loop 288 was constructed in 1959, the MKT railroad was still in use. It was abandoned in the 70's, and pulled up in the early 90's; leaving a "bridge over nothing" In the early 2000's, a bypass road was constructed, and the grade separation eliminated. The state had already planned on removing the grade seperation in a few years when they widened the road to six lanes. This early removal was done primarily I believe to allow more driveways to the new shopping center to be connected to Loop 288. A few years later the state widened the road. Now DCTA is reconstructing the rail line for commuter use. They will soon build a bridge at this location to carry their tracks over Loop 288.
Street View (construction now complete):
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UT ... 35.79,,0,5

As for traffic signals, Florida has alot of their signals on a single diagonal wire across the intersection(major intersections; multiple heads). This puts them too close to you and it's a pain in the neck to see them. You think that's bad, Europe puts theirs on the close side of the intersection. They sometimes put a mini head lower on the pole for the first driver in line to see. Still, i'm glad they don't do that here.

Florida diagonal wire signal:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UT ... 99.74,,0,5

[AndrewFields]

If you zoom in on the Satellite image of that location you can see the former overpass.