State to Close Railroad Crossings? (September, 2005)
CN Withdraws Petitions
OCR Dismisses Closure Petitions
OCR Issues Final Decision
Old Hwy 18 and Smokey Road Crossing Closure Petitions
The Wisconsin Central Ltd. (WCL), a subsidiary of Canadian National railroad,
has petitioned the State of Wisconsin to close the at-grade rail crossing at Old
Highway 18 (OH18) and Burbank Road, as well as the grade-separated crossing at Smokey
Road and US Hwy 10, both east of Stevens Point in the Town of Stockton. The
following information relates to these proposed closings, and a report of the
Heartland Club's work to prepare for the hearing before the Wisconsin Office of the
Commissioner of Railroads (OCR).
Old Highway 18 Information Smokey Road Information
Final Decision
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Old Highway 18:
Will a favorite bicycling route to the east close?
Old Highway 18 Road runs straight east from Stevens Point at US Hwy 10 approximately 5 miles to
Custer Road. About three miles east of Stevens Point, at the Burbank Road intersection, OH18
crosses the WCL railroad tracks. This is a dangerous crossing with no gates or lights, only
stop signs. However, many bicyclists use OH18 and this crossing as a vital access to and
from routes east of Steven Point. If this crossing closes and OH18 terminates there, it will
cut off bicyclists going east of town, leaving the only remaining safe routes at Rainbow/9th
Street (1.5 miles north) and Porter Road (2 miles south).
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RR Grade Crossing: Old Highway 18 at Burbank Road
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If you have any questions, concerns, suggesting, or would like to get involved,
please contact:
Jack Friess, Team Leader
OH18/Smokey Defense Team
1917 College Avenue
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-340-3132
jack@heartlandclub.org
Updated 4/14/17
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Smokey Road:
Will a potential north-south bicycling route close?
Smokey Road, located about 7 miles east of Stevens Point, runs north and south from 4th
Street to US Highway 10. This tree-lined, rural road is a favorite biking route for local
cyclists, generally south of Old Highway 18, past Lake Thomas Road to the Smokey Spur at 4th
Street. Since the one-mile section of Smokey Road north of Old Highway 18 terminates at US
Hwy 10, a four-lane, high-speed, high-volume highway, most cyclists avoid riding that
section, which includes the vehicle underpass at the WCL railroad tracks just south of the
intersection. However, with future plans to create a Hwy 10 by-pass and the resulting
lessening of traffic on the existing Hwy 10 (probably to become a county road), there is
great potential for bicyclists to use this north-south route to "hook up" with other great
cycling roads (like QQ, Ridge Road, and Rolling Hills Road) to the north. If this rail
trestle is removed and Smokey Road terminated, it will not only mean huge inconveniences for
local residents, but will cut off bicyclists wanting to go north of Old Hwy 18 in this area.
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Grade-Separated Crossing: Smokey Road at US Highway 10
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If you have any questions, concerns, suggesting, or would like to get involved,
please contact:
Jack Friess, Team Leader
OH18/Smokey Defense Team
1917 College Avenue
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-340-3132
jack@heartlandclub.org
Updated 6/12/09
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