Motorists queue up on 600 West waiting to cross 1400 North after the intersection was changed to a four-way stop on Friday.
LOGAN – Union Pacific has requested and been granted a temporary Restraining Order affecting traffic flow at the intersection of 1400 North and 600 West.
According to the restraining order, the recently-installed traffic signal at that location will now be temporarily deactivated and covered, turning the intersection at 1400 North and 600 West back into a 4-way stop.
It’s all part of a three-way dispute between local officials, the Utah Department of Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad.
Logan City has been working with Union Pacific to upgrade that intersection since 2016, but the point of contention has always been the nearby railroad crossing on 1400 North.
The upgraded intersection is now four-lanes, but the road bottlenecks down to two-lanes when it crosses the Union Pacific right-of-way.
The railroad is demanding that Logan pay the up-front construction cost of widening the road, plus an annual maintenance fee of $11,425.
A UDOT rule adopted in 2008 put the burden for maintenance cost of railway crossing on Union Pacific and that was confirmed when the Legislature passed House Bill 181 during the 2022 general session.
Union Pacific seemed determined to fight that ruling and the case appears heading to litigation in court.
The issue is also holding up a project to expand State Road 30, commonly known as Valley View Highway, as several Union Pacific tracks cross that thoroughfare.
City officials are asking motorists to use patience and caution while proceeding through the busy intersection at 1400 North and 600 West.
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