Motorists in Middletown and Lower Makefield often have to wait a while for freight trains to pass through the railroad crossings on Woodbourne and Township Line roads, writes the Philly Burbs.

This new study is hoping to find a way to provide some relief to frustrated drivers. The study will be conducted by PennDOT and funded up to $375,000 by the Federal Railroad Administration.

However, Middletown Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla is not optimistic about the study’s future findings. He has attended many meetings regarding the railroad crossings and believes that the only solution to the traffic delays would be to have the freight line, CSX, move its rail yard near the crossings – something he cannot imagine will ever happen.

Other possible solutions including the construction of overpasses or underpasses do not seem possible to him.

The study “will likely lead to several recommendations that will simply be too costly for any municipality to fund,” said Bartorilla. “A rail bridge (overpass) or underpass are incredibly costly (tens of millions of dollars in most cases) and there is limited to no funding for these projects.”

Read more about the study in the Philly Burbs.

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