SCHUMER CALLS ON CSX TO ADDRESS DANGEROUS RUNOFF DIVERTED FROM RAILROAD BRIDGE OVER MAIN COXSACKIE STREET TO SIDEWALKS AND RESOLVE ONGOING SAFETY CONCERN ONCE AND FOR ALL

Letter

Dear Mr. Hinrichs,

I request your attention to a long-standing safety situation regarding a CSX bridge in Coxsackie, New York, and the village's inability to receive substantive engagement from CSX.

In March of this year, a gray liquid substance began leaking from the Coxsackie bridge onto cars passing below. Nearly every car in the Village had several gray splotches on the right side of the car. Cars were swerving out of the lane to avoid this and causing many near misses with the traffic coming from the other direction.

CSX responded by placing plastic culvert pipes cut in half to replace the original 1930s steel drains. This installation has diverted the water to the sidewalk, leaving it wet and slick, ripe for residents old and young to fall down and hurt themselves. It creates another safety issue for residents in the Village, as this is a main walking route in town, the only pedestrian path to cross under the tracks, and a walking route for school children who are now faced with hazardous walking conditions.

I also understand from village officials that there have been issues in the past with the bridge. Several years ago, a large chunk of concrete fell and hit a father in the head as he was walking with his wife and baby in a stroller, causing a large laceration that resulted in an ambulance transport and many stitches. CSX periodically conducts "hammer" tests on the bridge, but the village also routinely picks up concrete under the bridge that has fallen off.

My staff has previously contacted CSX about the leaking bridge and slippery sidewalks, the town has yet to receive a substantive response from CSX, and with the school year ramping up again, I urge you to address this issue once and for all and to eliminate the hazards draining from your railroad bridge above the road. Moreover, I ask that you to build a cooperative, responsive relationship with the village with respect to CSX's operations in the future, given the long-standing concerns of the village.

I look forward to your response and the resulting action in the Village of Coxsackie and will continue to follow-up on this issue. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff.

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