Train Derailment Impacts Road Construction In Thermal

INDIO, CA — Plans to shutter a stretch of Avenue 62 in Thermal starting Thursday until the end of next month for road work were pushed back to an undetermined date due to a train derailment.

The roadway was scheduled to close between Highway 111 and state Route 86 to allow for the installation of a new traffic signal, improvements to the railroad tracks and other safety improvements.

Project spokeswoman Andrea Suarez said Wednesday a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed near Glamis, California, which caused a "disruption of railroad schedules" for Union Pacific and forced a delay in the construction project. No new time frame was provided by the Riverside County Department of Transportation for when the work might start up.

The $1 million project was originally set to wrap up by the end of July.

An emailed statement to Patch from Union Pacific spokesperson Tim McMahan said the derailment of two empty boxcars occurred around 5:09 p.m. Monday near Ben Huse Highway and Ted Kipf Road in Glamis. There were no injuries.

"The rail line was reopened the following morning," McMahan said. "The cause of the derailment is under investigation."

The Thermal project plan calls for the conversion of a four-way stop at the intersection of Highway 111 and Avenue 62 into a signalized intersection, along with new crosswalks, street lights, curbs and gutters, with the goal of making the thoroughfare safer.

The first leg of the project will involve Union Pacific Railroad crews installing new railroad tracks just east of the intersection, project manager Scott Gibson said earlier this week.

Once installed, the traffic signal slated for the intersection adjacent to the tracks will communicate with the railroad crossing, which will help reduce traffic congestion and make the thoroughfare safer, Gibson said.

No new lanes will be added, he said, although the intersection will be widened to make room for the signal.

The project area is along a North American Free Trade Agreement freight corridor, which is expected to continue generating additional truck and train traffic in the coming years, Suarez said.

The thoroughfare is used to move goods from the border with Mexico north to Interstate 10, she said.

On average, 35 trains pass through the area every day, with up to 50 between October and December, Suarez said.