‘Sigh of relief;’ Grant announced to help free area neighborhood shut in by trains

ST. CLAIR TWP, Butler County — A Butler County neighborhood is blocked in by railroad crossings but residents have expressed their concerns, and now they can expect a change, according to our media partner in Cincinnati, WCPO-9 TV.

There are only three ways in and out for those living in the Cedar Grove subdivision in St. Clair Township, but Norfolk Southern railroad tracks cross those entrances and exits.

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Some drivers have found themselves waiting to get out of their neighborhood for extended times, WCPO-9 reported.

“Jan. 16, 2021, I was trying to get out of my subdivision to go to a little clinic appointment and there was a broken down train. Taylor School in Seven Mile was blocked, West Elkton/Spring Road, Fear not Mills, and 127 in New Miami. Five blocked for two and a half hours,” Pam Stroup said.

Stroup worked to make the change when she started collecting signatures from her neighbors. She then took the issue up with the St. Clair Board of Trustees.

“In 2021, we were blocked 33 times for a total of 15 and a half hours,” she said. “In 2022, we were blocked 29 times for a total of 20 hours and 13 minutes, and in 2023, we were blocked seven times. (That was) from January to May.”

On Monday, leaders in Butler County announced a state grant to fund the construction of an almost 3,000-foot access road that will run parallel to the tracks connecting West Elkton Road to Taylor School Road.

The county’s project will receive nearly $2.8 million from the Ohio Rail Development Commission, WCPO-9 reported.

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In addition to the access road, the project plans to close at least one, if not two, at-grade crossings in the area, WCPO-TV reported.

Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkins said this will give residents a way out even when all the crossings are blocked by freight trains, WCPO-9 reported.

“We weren’t seeing our way to make this project a reality early on because it didn’t meet any of the federal guidelines. The rail commission recognized that this was a necessity for safety of residents in this area,” Wilkins said.

St. Clair Township Trustee Dustin Gadd said this grant is a major win for the community.

“This is a great day for the residents,” Gadd said. “It’s a sigh of relief. Nobody has to feel like they’re blocked in, whether they need safety services, going to work, taking their kids to youth sporting events or even to school — sometimes the school buses, they’re late to school.”

Wilkins estimates it’ll take another year to finalize the plan. Residents won’t be able to use the access road until 2025 or 2026.

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