Residents: Closing CSX railway crossing would block access to community

<p>An old farming community in Rockland County is hoping officials can find a solution to a troublesome railroad crossing that they say is the only way in and out of the neighborhood.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 18, 2018, 10:07 PM

Updated 2,328 days ago

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An old farming community in Rockland County is hoping officials can find a solution to a troublesome railroad crossing that they say is the only way in and out of the neighborhood.
This CSX railroad crossing is the only way to access 14 homes on Pineview Road in West Nyack.
The railroad corporation wants to close the crossing, allegedly because it's not up to safety standards.
“If they close that crossing, we are landlocked,” says Pineview resident Bart Fitzsimon.
Fitzsimon says residents there also get blocked in when parked trains are stacked at the crossing.
Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann says the private road isn't under the town's jurisdiction, but he's still helping residents, CSX and the corporate park near the crossing try to find a solution.
“Ultimately, it's not a safe crossing. It doesn't meet any of the current safety codes, and it would be very difficult to bring it up to any type of safety codes,” he says.
Hoehmann says alternate options include building a tunnel under the crossing or a new road that would lead residents out into Orangetown.
The homeowners say they aren't happy about that idea.
“I refuse to pay Clarkstown taxes if I’m forced to go out to Blauvelt,” said one homeowner.
Residents tell News 12 that closing the crossing wouldn't just be an inconvenience. It would also end a simpler way of living that's almost non-existent elsewhere in Rockland County.
CSX says there is no timeline to close the crossing, but that it's committed to working with local officials to find a resolution.