by Malcolm Butler
A Louisiana Center for the Blind student struck by a train Friday continues to improve as Ruston officials work toward a roughly $2 million project that would add safety measures at four downtown railroad crossings.
Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said Monday the woman had been moved to a private hospital room at LSU Shreveport and was continuing to recover.
“She was in a private room and was still progressing well, getting better every day,” Walker said.
The woman’s name has not been publicly released. Walker declined to provide details about her injuries at the request of Louisiana Center for the Blind officials.
When the LPJ reached out to Louisiana Center for the Blind Director Pamela Allen Tuesday night, she declined comment and instead referred us to a statement posted on the Center’s Facebook page.
“We would like to share that the student who was in a train accident last week is in stable condition. We deeply appreciate the outpouring of care and concern for the student and everyone impacted. Out of respect for the student’s privacy, we will not share additional medical information. Our thoughts remain with the student, and we are grateful to everyone who has reached out with compassion, kindness., and prayers.”
Walker said the Ruston Police Department is also expected to receive video footage from the train that could provide officials with a clearer picture of what occurred.
The accident has brought additional attention to pedestrian safety around the railroad tracks, particularly near the Louisiana Center for the Blind in downtown Ruston.
Walker said the city has been working for several years on plans to establish a railroad quiet zone that would include significant safety improvements at the Trenton, Vienna, Monroe and Homer street crossings.
“We have been working for several years on it,” Walker said. “I talked with Pam Allen, of course, the director of the Center for the Blind. She’s in favor of it also, so we’re moving forward.”
Walker said the project is expected to cost approximately $2 million, with the city hoping to secure state funding.
“I’ve already contacted the legislators,” Walker said. “It’s going to take $2 million to do what’s called a quiet zone.”
Although the designation would reduce the routine use of train horns, Walker said establishing the quiet zone requires additional physical safety measures at the crossings.
Those improvements would include additional crossing gates for vehicles as well as gates protecting pedestrian sidewalks.
“Instead of just having the sidewalks for people to walk on, you have an arm that comes down for that, too,” Walker said.
The crossings would also include detectable warning surfaces, commonly known as truncated domes, on pedestrian approaches. The textured surfaces are designed to alert visually impaired pedestrians that they are approaching a street, railroad crossing or other potentially hazardous area.
“They can tell by the texture of what they’re walking on,” Walker said. “It’s kind of got bubbles on it.”
Walker said the additional crossing arms would provide protection on both sides of the roadway. Currently, a crossing may have a gate blocking traffic approaching the tracks while leaving the opposite side unobstructed. The proposed configuration would provide gates on both sides.
“To have a quiet zone, the only way you can have a quiet zone is to have those extended arms that come down,” Walker said. “You have to have them on both sides of the street — north and south.”
The project would target the four crossings closest to the Louisiana Center for the Blind and the downtown area.
Walker said some engineering work for the project has already been completed, although it will need to be updated before construction can begin.
“We hope to get some kind of state appropriation,” Walker said. “We’ve already done the engineering work, or some of it. We’ve got to update it. But hopefully we’ll be able to do something, hopefully starting before the end of the year.”
Walker said he has not personally spoken with the injured student but has remained in regular contact with Allen since Friday’s accident.
“She and I have been talking daily,” Walker said.
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