By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News correspondent
Nephi City staff and council members will meet
with Union Pacific Railroad officials to discuss signs
the railroad has recently installed along the track
which bisects town North to South on the west side of
the community.
Both the railroad company and the city erect
signs along the route where tracks and streets
meet.
"Usually, when changes are made," said Randy
McKnight, city administrator, "railroad personnel
confer with the cities and consult the traffic plan of
the community."
This time, the meeting did not take place in
advance of the signs being changed by the railroad
company.
"In reviewing the changes they made, we found
some to be confusing to the motorist," said McKnight.
"In addition, a sign of ours was removed."
Union Pacific Railroad officials were contacted
about the changes and the concerns of Nephi staff
members. As a result, officials of the railroad
offered to meet with members of the council and city
staff to discuss the changes which had been made.
Officials from the Utah Department of
Transportation (UDOT) have also been invited to the
meeting, said McKnight.
"We expressed our concerns and told officials of
Union Pacific Railroad why we did not think the
changes were appropriate," said McKnight. "They would
like to meet with all of us to discuss our
concerns."
"On 300 North and 500 North Streets, on the east
side of the tracks, the cross-buck signs were moved
from the existing advance-warning sign posts on the
Nephi City east-west street right-of-way and relocated
to a new sign post installed by Union Pacific adjacent
to the tracks," said Randy McKnight, city
administrator.
"Our opinion is that the new stop sign location
is both confusing and dangerous," said McKnight.
The sign was confusing, he said, because it is
only 40 feet on the West from an existing stop sign on
the city east-west street right-of-way.
He and the city streets superintendent thought
that the sign was dangerous because traffic stopping
at the new stop sign was forced to stop in the traffic
lanes of the north/south-bound traffic on 300 West
Street.
McKnight said new stop signs were installed on
private crossings at approximately 400 North and 600
North on 300 West Street.
"Traffic stopping at these signs also will be
stopping in the north/south bound traffic lanes of 300
West Street," said McKnight.
On 500 North on the west side of the tracks, a
post holding a stop sign, a cross-buck sign, and a
dead-end sign was replaced.
"The dead-end sign was not reinstalled on the
replacement post," said McKnight. "We want the
dead-end sign replaced."
In addition, he said, the request was made, in
writing, that Union Pacific remove the new stop
signs.
