The city is requesting that Transport Canada upgrade the railroad crossing at the 13th St. location.
“I’m definitely in support of this,” Coun. Phil Iddon said.
“We’ve got low income housing in that area, we’ve got the schools in that area, I think that definitely we can make that a safer crossing.”
Canadian Pacific (CP) has to submit an application for the upgrade to Transport Canada by August 1.
But the criteria for the project is specific and the Fernie crossing falls short of meeting this criteria, CP Public Works Engineer Doug Younger wrote in an email to Mayor Mary Giuliano.
Some of the guidelines include a railway design speed of more than 50 mph and two or more lines of a railway where railways equipment may be passing one another.
These, along with three other guidelines must be met in order for Transport Canada to consider the project.
“This crossing regrettably falls short to achieving any of the warrants for adding gates,” Younger wrote.
But the city has decided to move forward with their request despite CP’s response.
“We’d be crazy not to do this,” Coun. Dan McSkimming said.
If the project is approved, it is estimated to cost around $30,000, Guiliano said.
The city of Fernie would be responsibly for funding 25 percent of the project while CP would fund another 25 percent and Transport Canada would fund 50 percent of the total project.