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The intersection of Tyler Street and Indiana Avenue in Riverside, with the 91 Freeway overpass visible in the background. City officials are considering a temporary closure of the nearby railroad crossing that causes significant traffic delays for thousands of motorists daily.
The Riverside Transportation Board has postponed discussion of a plan that could eliminate more than five hours of daily traffic disruptions at one of the city's most congested intersections.
At Wednesday's meeting, the board voted unanimously to continue an agenda item regarding a potential three- to six-month pilot project to temporarily close the Tyler Street at-grade crossing with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad tracks.
“Gates are down for about 145 minutes each day, but the total disruption is closer to 325 minutes—or 5.4 hours daily,” said Nathan Mustafa, Deputy Public Works Director and City Engineer. “This affects more than 15,000 motorists who use this crossing.”
The crossing’s location creates a perfect storm for traffic congestion. Situated just 200 feet from Indiana Avenue and 400 feet from State Route 91 ramps, each passing train triggers a cascade of interruptions at five nearby intersections.
Safety concerns add urgency to finding a solution. The crossing has seen two fatal accidents in the past decade, placing it high on the county’s priority list for grade separation—a project to eliminate the crossing entirely.
A permanent fix would cost over $100 million due to complex site constraints. With such expensive infrastructure upgrades years away, the pilot closure offers a potential near-term solution.
Under the proposed pilot, the crossing would close to vehicles and bicycles while remaining open to pedestrians. While the gates would still activate for passing trains, traffic signals would no longer be interrupted, allowing for improved traffic flow at nearby intersections.
“The City has previously closed this crossing for construction work, and the benefits to nearby intersections were immediately apparent,” according to the staff report.
Despite multiple technical improvements to traffic signals and coordination with Caltrans, the fundamental problem of train-caused delays persists.
The Transportation Board voted to continue the item to a future meeting. Before any pilot moves forward, extensive community engagement is planned, with a focus on detours, impacts to nearby intersections, and potential cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets.
If approved by the Mobility and Infrastructure Committee, city staff would begin community outreach through existing planning processes and a public survey.
For the thousands of motorists who currently sit through extended delays at this railroad crossing daily, the pilot could determine whether rerouting traffic around the problematic crossing actually improves overall mobility in the area.
