Diamond Avenue railroad crossing to close next spring
The railroad crossing on Diamond Avenue, just east of Glencoe, will be closed to vehicle traffic next spring.
On Tuesday, the McLeod County Board approved a resolution that will allow the crossing to be closed. The state will compensate the county $137,048 to close the crossing, which Highway Engineer John Brunkhorst said could be diverted toward the Morningside Avenue extension in the city of Glencoe, which will create a new railroad crossing northeast of Coborn’s.
Brunkhorst said traffic on Diamond Avenue has decreased significantly. The road used to be the old state Trunk Highway 261, but was reverted to the county when the county rehabilitated County Road 1 into a major north-south corridor. Since the diversion of the north-south traffic, Diamond Avenue has had much less traffic.
Commissioner Doug Krueger pointed out that the current railroad crossing on Diamond is not up to standards. If it is kept open, he said, the crossing would need to be improved.
The board unanimously approved the resolution.
For more from the County Board meeting, including an update on the jail project, see the Sept. 20 print edition of The Chronicle.