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Independent Voice

Parkway Overcrossing Moves to Next Level

Aug 04, 2022 12:00AM ● By By Debra Dingman

This is a rendering created by Deborah Barr, P.E. Dixon City Engineer to show how Parkway Boulevard will help make Dixon safer for emergency response and help reduce traffic on South First Street. Photo courtesy of the City of Dixon

DIXON, CA (MPG) - By 2025, there will be another 1,587 housing units approximately bringing approximately 5,000 people which will grow our population by about 25%, according to a report from Deborah Barr, P.E., City Engineer/Director of Utilities.

These numbers, along with Dixon having no grade separated rail crossings and a history of rail safety in Dixon having two fatalities in the last ten years, brings Dixon to a higher risk level. There is limited emergency access and evacuation routes.

Dixon and Solano County Transportation Authority are looking to minimize this "unacceptable" risk and will expedite the Parkway Boulevard Overcrossing Project if the Council chose to adopt the resolution authorizing consulting services for an amount not to exceed $1,567,564. The City will contract with TY Lin for additional engineering, environmental document plans, specifications and estimates, bidding support and construction support services all relating to the project.

"There are up to 40 trains traveling up to 79 miles per hour," said Barr. "Our goal is to construct a new 'Complete Street' grade-separated railroad crossing at Parkway Boulevard." Numerous steps have already been accomplished beginning in 2008 despite delays in 2016 due to Union Pacific Railroad changes in requirements which sent plans back to a starting point.

With the completion of the Western Embankment Project with construction beginning this week and done this year, the City has reached the point required so it can move ahead for funding. Plan and design permits will be done in 2023; seek state and federal funding in 2024; and construction proposed to begin in 2025 contingent on funding availability, of course.

"We need the additional support, and their bid includes a lot," she explained. City Council agreed 5-0. To see a timeline of this plan and the renderings showing how the project will look when completed, one can watch Barr's entire presentation that is recorded of the July 19 City Council Meeting.

In other city news, Operation Red, White, and Boom was the title of Dixon Police Chief Robert Thompson's report after the 4th of July which included time from 6 pm to 2 am that evening.

"We had 46 calls and it has gone down every year since 2020," he said. The response time last year also improved. It was 17 minutes, but he reminded all of two-house fires last year and this year, the response time was barely 8 minutes.

"The number of calls has been declining. We were not inhibited so we were able to do more robust enforcement," he said. The Council was pleased to hear the report and cited the fireworks display in Hall Park could account for that. This newspaper also published stories of life and property lost in last year's 4th of July fireworks in the edition before the holiday.

"We are moving in the right direction, and I'd like to see a more robust Hall Park celebration next year with more food trucks and music," said District 2 Rep Jim Ernest. "We can work at getting more citizens out there."