Biloxi railroad crossing closures

Following last year’s tragic train accident, Biloxi is now one step closer to closing six railroad crossings. News 25’s Payton Malone breaks down the plans.
Last March, the City of Biloxi was already looking into closing railroad crossings. Little did they know it would be the same day four people would tragically pass away after a train collided with a tour bus stuck on the tracks. Mike Leonard with the City of Biloxi said, “On the night of the crossing accident on Main Street, there was on our city council agenda a resolution for the closure of six crossings.”
Tuesday night the Biloxi City Council approved a resolution that would begin the design phase of closing six railroad crossings at Nixon, Holly, Iroquois, Dorries, Delauney Streets, and Querens Avenue.
There are a total of 29 railroad crossings in Biloxi and 21 of those are in a confined, two mile stretch between Keesler to the Bay. Because there are so many in a high traffic area, the City of Biloxi says it is time to take action and close some down. Cecilia Dobbs Walton with Biloxi Public Affairs said, “We have so many crossings in such a small area that, of course, will cause more accidents. So, Mayor Gilich just wants to make the area safe and we know and have heard from a lot of residents of the inconvenience it will cause, but ultimately they do realize it is for the safety of the public.”
City officials tell News 25 these plans will address the inconveniences these closures could cause. “In order for us to close those crossings, we agreed with the city council that we would be sure that we have alternate parallel roads so that people would not be inconvenienced,” said Leonard.
Design plans are scheduled to be complete by the end of the summer. That’s when new roads are also scheduled to be built. Closure of the crossings are expected to be complete by the end of 2019.