Dear Mr.

Foote,

I write today to bring your attention to an ongoing issue regarding the stoppage of trains
along State Rt 250/Main Street in Fairport, NY, leading to traffic jams and public safety
concerns in the community.

When the three tracks that cross Main Street converge to two tracks further east,
eastbound trains have slowed or come to a complete halt. Unfortunately, when the trains
stop they are often still blocking Main Street’s grade crossing. Members of the community
have reported that the road is blocked for up to 45 minutes on a regular basis.

Traffic jams along Main Street have become especially disruptive lately as Fairport this
month reopened their Main Street Lift Bridge which had been under repair and closed to
traffic for two years and is located adjacent to the CSX tracks. Since the bridge’s reopening,
which connects the northern and southern halves of Main Street through the village, traffic
has resumed to normal levels along Main Street, further exacerbating the impact of long
wait times at the rail crossing just north of the bridge.

The bottleneck creates several public safety concerns as well. Traffic jams along Main
Street can make it difficult for first responders to quickly respond to incidents in the village
and local residents have observed that the long wait times have caused some drivers to
rush past the tracks as the crossing gates go down. Community members have also alerted
me that pedestrians waiting to cross the road have at times crossed past the stopped train,
putting them at risk as trains along the other tracks continue to speed by.

I would appreciate your attention to this matter and ask that you look for ways to alleviate
this situation for the people of Fairport, potentially by holding trains west of the Main
Street and O’Connor Road crossings if there is a blockage further east on the tracks.
Directing eastbound trains to stop and hold before crossing State Rt 250/Main Street until
any blockage is cleared would enable vehicles to continue to traverse Main Street.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.