Old Town Hall Fire Raises Concerns About Erwin Railroad Crossing
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Old Town Hall Fire Raises Concerns About Erwin...
Old Town Hall Fire Raises Concerns About Erwin Railroad Crossing
Nate Morabito/News Channel 11
As Erwin’s old Town Hall was burning Wednesday night, Embreeville Volunteer Firefighters were scrambling to find a new route after driving up to a passing train. The Town of Erwin called the nearby Embreeville Volunteer Fire Department for help, but firefighters were delayed six minutes getting to that fire thanks to the train.
Those firefighters couldn’t get to Main Street the easy way. So, the firefighters had to find an alternate route.
“We were in a trap there so we had to turn around, go back, get on the exit, go an extra mile to the next exit, and come back down to the scene,“ Embreeville Fire Chief Earl Greene said. “Usually from here to Erwin we can drive there in five to seven minutes, so it was another six to seven minutes.“
Luckily, those extra six to seven minutes did not prove costly for this emergency. Crews already had the fire contained. But, town leaders wonder what about next time?
“You’re running against the odds all the time,“ Erwin Mayor Brushy Lewis said. “You can get stuck in between two trains, so it’s a very unique situation.“
Emergency responders have long argued the two sets of train tracks near the Erwin CSX rail yard are more than just a nuisance. However, they say the Tennessee Department of Transportation is committed to fixing the problem.
“It should be completed by 2012,“ Lewis said.
Lewis says the state is on track to start construction on a train overpass in Erwin no later than 2011. That would eliminate the need for a railroad crossing on Jonesborough Road.
“It’s an $8 million (project) right now,“ Lewis said. “By the time we get it built, it will probably be $14 million.“
State legislator David Hawk (R), who represents Unicoi County in Nashville, says TDOT still considers the overpass project a top priority. Leaders say it may not arrive as soon as people would like, but they promise it is on its way.
“I’d just like the people here in Unicoi County to be patient with us, because we are trying,“ Lewis said.
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Reader Reactions
dadw5boys…So you too know about the Unicoi Mafia.
Sergent Major—- Back in the 1960 Erwin ws offered a bridge over the tracks but they did not want to spend the money to buy the land from a guy name Rex Erwin. Those swaps lands down there. Later Lewis sold those swamp lands to the state to build I-26 for serveral million dollars. He got more per ac of swamp land the the Citizens displace by the highway were paid for homes.
Lack of planning and a desire to keep taxes low has always cost Erwin. They have set out to attract old retirees and now they are finding these people vote for anyone who says “CUT TAXES” and these retirees could care less about the schools. They are looking foward to getting cheap health care in a nursing home by the kids they prevent from getting a great education in a town smothered in debt !!!!!!
Don’t blame CSX Railroad. Citizens in Ewrin need to blame themselves. Personally I think Erwin would be a great place for a TVA Lake and Power Generating Dam.
I would be worried about all the County Records stored on that 2nd Floor of the Court House.
The town has changed so much since I lived there. The people all seem scared of their own shadows and the Politicans keep their foot planted firmly on the throats of the poor. They maintain the low wage work force no matter what.
i agree w/ the comment posted my sergeantmajor. ive lived in erwin all my life and i hate to see a train across the tracks; now granted i understand that it brings tons of jobs to this county, but i think csx has got a little to big for their proverbial briches.
It’s to bad CSX could not hold their trains in the yard until all the firemen got in place and I will believe that overpass when I see it, telling us to be patient till 2011 or 2012 well what is there to hope for from David Hawk after he went after Sarah Bailey’s job because she is a Democrat.
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