Ottawa City Hall may hire a firm to put together a proposal for moving rail switch yards out of town. The idea is that if the trains are assembled east of the city, they won’t block city streets for so long. Mayor Dan Aussem says the trains block the streets when engineers drive them back and forth numerous times to assemble trains.
The City Council is considering a contract with Hanson Professional Services for the proposal and application to the regulators. Over the years, some people have asked for highway overpasses and underpasses at the rail crossings, but the experts say those are too costly and there’s not enough room.