Milbank Main Street Railroad Crossing Closed For Renovation

The  Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad blocked the crossing on north Main Street in Milbank today, July 11. The closure marks the beginning of a joint project between the railroad and the City of Milbank to eliminate two track crossings and upgrade three others. The street will be shut down for an undetermined length of time, but John Forman, administrator for the City of Milbank, anticipates the work will be finished in two to three weeks.
Officials estimate the price tag for the project to be around $176,000. Milbank is responsible for half of that amount or approximately $88,000.

Once the construction is completed, Bituminous Paving of Odessa, Minnesota, will replace the asphalt. Forman says, “The only paving will be on Main Street from the end of the previous construction north to the intersection with Milbank Ave.”

Railroad workers on the site today said the grinding crew will begin on Thursday grinding the asphalt. They also report the steel gang will be in Milbank that day to replace a section of rail.

“The upgrade is overdue,” Forman added, “but we are appreciative of partnering with the BNSF Railroad on this project now, and we will do our best to keep the closure as short as possible for the public.”