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The standards call for 400 metres of clear vision on either side of a railway crossing in order to silence the whistles, but the Highway 11 overpass is located about 300 metres west of the crossing, Hansen said.

The gravel road, which is located in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park, runs parallel to Highway 11 from the east side of the intersection with Grasswood Road to just south of the Highway 11/Circle Drive interchange. It does not connect to any major roads either inside or outside city limits.

Hansen further noted the road is considered a summer road and is not maintained in the winter. That means whistles in the winter months could be blasting warnings for vehicles when the road is not being used, he suggested.

Hansen said he has contacted the RM of Corman Park, which he said has been applying to remove the designation requiring train whistles for most of the rural roads that cross the CN track between Highway 11 and Clavet.

The two exceptions include Range Road 3051, because of the cost of upgrading the crossings to meet national standards, he explained.

Angela Gardiner, the City of Saskatoon’s acting general manager of transportation and utilities, said the city has been in contact with both Corman Park and CN Rail over the situation.

Gardiner confirmed the RM is not pursuing upgrades that would stop the whistles at Range Road 3051.

Leaving the status quo is “really not an acceptable solution,” Hansen said, adding that he would like to see the road closed in the winter on a trial basis.

Coun. Randy Donauer said he sympathizes, noting he once heard 32 train whistle blasts after 1:30 a.m. in his home in the city’s north end.

Donauer convinced the committee to endorse his idea to get city officials to study the situation and come up with solutions.

ptank@postmedia.com

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