County restricting crossing at Tornillo railroad due to truck traffic, safety concerns

A major truck crash on a railroad crossing in El Paso’s lower valley has now resulted in major changes for what can happen at that intersection of Alameda Avenue and Oil Mill Drive.

It was a pretty dramatic sight in March, with a tractor-trailor knocked on its side after getting stuck by a train. The truck had gotten stuck while trying to make the crossing. No one was seriously hurt, but it wasn’t the first time there had been problems with big trucks at that crossing.

“These are some slides that show the continual damage at the railroad crossing as those large trucks cannot clear it,” said Public Works Director Pat Adauto, showing the wear and ruts in the road caused by heavy vehicles on either side of the tracks. “And it’s just continual damage. And this was the latest accident that occurred at the rail crossing.”

“It’s not the safest of situations,” said El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar (D).

Escobar and the rest of commissioners court voted Monday to restrict crossing by trucks over 32 feet long for the future. Signage will now be placed around the crossing to make that clear.

“The heavy trucks that go over it, they’ve degraded the crossing because it’s at a unique elevation,” Escobar said. “And so the railroad actually approached the commissioner, Commissioner (Vince) Perez about this, and about closing it, while they number one, work to make changes to the crossing, but more importantly, work to not make any more hazards.”

The installation of the new traffic signs is expected in the next few weeks.