There was a thread here a few years ago when CSX tore out the crossing for Stickney Road, just west of CP263, at the east end of the Oneida controlled siding. Apparently they thought the four crossings here in close proximity for fairly lightly used local roads were redundant.
It appears the county is finally making some changes that would allow for the closure of Sand Hill Road as well. This road crosses at about a 45' angle in the middle of CP263. It's been shifted at the Kotary Rd. intersection so that going straight takes you down Kotary, and you have to make a 90' turn to enter Sand Hill Road, which then makes another right turn to head toward the tracks. Effectively it makes that section of Sand Hill into a side road rather than the main road. The modern standard for redoing Y-shaped intersections makes them into a T and has been done a lot of other places, but normally the intersecting road gets the T connection, not the main road.
Kotary then comes out on Randel Road/CR 48 north of the CSX main which Randel crosses via overpass. Going this way around is more or less like going around the right angle side of the triangle instead of the angled side, and adds perhaps half a mile to a trip that way.
I see a lot of what look like survey markers for repaving and widening going right on up to the crossing, though, so who knows.
This would eliminate the two western of the four crossings. Interestingly the easternmost, for Conley Road, is the most redundant at this point. The Oneida Nation now owns all the land on this dead end stub bordered by the railroad and the Thruway, has torn down all the structures, and the road wasn't even plowed when I passed by during the winter. It's a wonder they can't find some way to replace the lights and gates with just private crossing warning signs.
And the only other question is what becomes of Fox Road's crossing. It could be bypassed by sending traffic on down to Randal as well. This is the crossing where a couple on a motorcycle crashed into the side of a train some years ago.
It appears the county is finally making some changes that would allow for the closure of Sand Hill Road as well. This road crosses at about a 45' angle in the middle of CP263. It's been shifted at the Kotary Rd. intersection so that going straight takes you down Kotary, and you have to make a 90' turn to enter Sand Hill Road, which then makes another right turn to head toward the tracks. Effectively it makes that section of Sand Hill into a side road rather than the main road. The modern standard for redoing Y-shaped intersections makes them into a T and has been done a lot of other places, but normally the intersecting road gets the T connection, not the main road.
Kotary then comes out on Randel Road/CR 48 north of the CSX main which Randel crosses via overpass. Going this way around is more or less like going around the right angle side of the triangle instead of the angled side, and adds perhaps half a mile to a trip that way.
I see a lot of what look like survey markers for repaving and widening going right on up to the crossing, though, so who knows.
This would eliminate the two western of the four crossings. Interestingly the easternmost, for Conley Road, is the most redundant at this point. The Oneida Nation now owns all the land on this dead end stub bordered by the railroad and the Thruway, has torn down all the structures, and the road wasn't even plowed when I passed by during the winter. It's a wonder they can't find some way to replace the lights and gates with just private crossing warning signs.
And the only other question is what becomes of Fox Road's crossing. It could be bypassed by sending traffic on down to Randal as well. This is the crossing where a couple on a motorcycle crashed into the side of a train some years ago.
