The Buffalo News has an article today about Cheektowaga and the state of the many railroad bridges inside of the town. The bridges are maintained by Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads.
Well this isn’t a problem that only plagues Cheektowaga. Look around when driving about and you will see that railroad bridges throughout WNY are eyesores. It is something that we tend to overlook, but the problem is definitely there.
In the article spokesman CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said the railroad’s emphasis is not necessarily on keeping the bridges looking nice. “We’ve got literally thousands of bridges across our railroad,” he said. “We’ve come to the realization that our resources really need to be directed to ensuring the structural integrity of these bridges rather than their cosmetics.”
Sounds like a lame excuse to me.
Assembly Majority leader Paul Tokasz along with the town of Cheektowaga want something to be done about the problem. “We have two corporate citizens who aren’t doing their jobs,” said Tokasz, a Cheektowaga Democrat. “Simply painting bridges sends a message.”
