Economy

Colorado railroad crossing where 5 family members were killed was awaiting improvements

State transportation officials are in the process of improving the site near Trinidad

By Jesse Paul | jpaul@denverpost.com and Natalie Munio | nmunio@denverpost.com

June 27, 2016 | UPDATED: 3 hours ago

The southern Colorado railroad crossing where five family members — including three young girls — died after their minivan was struck by a train as they headed to church has been the site of at least six crashes, one of them fatal, since 1986 and been eyed for safety improvements for years. ... State transportation officials began examining the site north of Trinidad in late 2013 and subsequently targeted it for a significant safety overhaul.

A $271,000 contract has been signed for the work to install advanced signaling, and Las Animas County commissioners approved the project June 14. Amy Ford, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said Monday the initiative is pending a review of the application by the Public Utilities Commission.

The project will add flashers, gates, bells and a constant warning system at the at-grade crossing, which currently is marked only with signs. An application calls the enhancements a “safety improvement project,” noting the roughly 180 vehicles that pass through each day.

“I don’t know what took so long,” said Leeann Fabec, Las Animas County’s administrator. “That crossing has been there for probably 80 years. It’s a rural road that’s heavily used. I’m surprised myself that it took so long to come to the forefront.”