Preserve and protect the bird and wildlife habitat near the East Gallatin River and beyond which are threatened by the potential of an incident at the uncontrolled Red Wing Drive railroad crossing (DOT# 060075M). North Park Development has purchased and is developing the land between I-90 and Frontage Road off North 7th Avenue in Bozeman, MT. The developers have indicated they do not intend to remove or improve the Red Wing Drive railroad crossing and want to keep it as a "bargaining chip" for their development.

This train crossing is unsafe and over utilized today and will become increasingly dangerous as traffic increases with the new development. If a train/auto incident should occur, Mandeville Creek which runs beneath the tracks near the crossing would be threatened as would the East Gallatin and other waterways beyond.

The high volume of traffic on Frontage Road make accessing Red Wing Drive extremely dangerous as there is very little distance between the highway and the railroad crossing, it is a rough gravel road, and the visibility to/from Frontage is poor.  

The City of Bozeman is the public road authority for this crossing since the area is annexed into the city. The City of Bozeman has indicated that it is up to the developer to determine if the crossing will remain as is, be improved, or be removed. Montana Rail Link (MRL) and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) support elimination of the crossing at Red Wing Drive. A joint MRL/MDT program is in place which provides up to $15,000 to the road authority (City of Bozeman) to eliminate  existing public grade crossings such as the one at Red Wing Drive.

There is no reason for this crossing to remain entact.  It is dangerous and, as has happened at other area crossings, destined to be the site of a consequential incident.  By signing this petition, we can gain the attention needed to make this a priority for the City of Bozeman.