With parts of Andersonville and Davisburg roads closed while railroads are repaired, many Springfield Township residents found their main paved routes into the township gone.
The roads were closed as Canadian National Railway put in new crossings last week. The closures caused frustration among officials and first-responders.
‘We have two main paved roads going into our township and they closed them both. There’s nothing else,? said Springfield Township Fire Chief Charlie Oaks. ‘Naturally it causes us problems. It adds two or three minutes in response time. It hasn’t jeopardized anybody’s life or property yet, but when you’re talking about two minutes of not breathing, it could mean life or death.?
?(The closings) obviously add to our response times and then you’re going on dirt roads, so there’s more traffic on dirt roads making it tough for emergency vehicles because the road is only so wide. Plus, it’s dumping more traffic into the neighborhoods,? said Sergeant Mark Gardner of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Springfield substation.
According to Gardner, he received many complaints from residents on the dirt roads about increased traffic and speeding through the neighborhoods.
Both Gardner and Oaks questioned whether the projects could have been alternated, so as to only close one at a time.
‘On Andersonville and Big Lake Road, for real emergency situations, they could have put a little bypass or temporary gate for emergency vehicles,? said Oaks.
An official with Canadian National Railway (CN), who asked not to be identified, addressed the situation over the phone.
‘It was taken into consideration. It was kind of a last minute deal. We had some machinery issues and had to (fix both crossings) at the same time due to the availability of the machinery.
‘It’s a safety issue. Both crossings were falling apart. We couldn’t wait another year on them,? added the official.
According to the CN official, a derailment in Chicago took away some of the needed machinery causing them to close both crossings. Further delaying the process, particularly for the Andersonville Road crossing which was behind schedule and not completed by deadline, additional machinery problems prevented the company from completing both projects as scheduled on May 12. The Davisburg Road crossing was open as of May 13. CN had a permit to close the tracks from May 5 ? 12.
‘It was kind of out of our control. I apologize. I realize these are the main arteries in that area,? said the CN official, who noted additional work is scheduled in the near future on a crossing on Big Lake Road.
Road Commission for Oakland County Public Information Officer Craig Bryson said he was aware of the project, but not the specific dates on both sites until a few weeks ago.
‘We did discuss it with them. They apparently had a problem because the equipment was available only for a certain window,? said Bryson. ‘It wasn’t our preference, but we have limited ability to influence their decisions. But at the same time, we wanted the work done and local officials wanted it done.?
‘The railroads don’t need our permission and the reason is they were here before the road systems. By law, their rights supercede ours. To their credit, they try to work with us to some degree, but they can come in and close down when they need to.?
Township Supervisor Collin Walls, upset with the closing of both crossings at the same time, plans to bring the issue forward at a previously scheduled meeting between all municipalities served from the RCOC garage in Davisburg soon.
Walls took issue with the notice, saying there was no ‘advance notice to speak of.? According to Walls, he was unaware of the project until around May 2, a few days before the project started.
‘Typically in the past, we’ve received phone calls from the permit department asking what we think of the closing. Not this time,? said Walls, who has since complained to both RCOC and CN Railways.
‘I would have objected vehemently because they blocked both main east/west routes into the township at the same time.?