Questions over the safety or lack of it surrounding the railway crossing on 68th Street in Rosedale pre-dated the wreck and subsequent explosion in May of 2013, and they continue today.
Yes, CSX freight trains still pass by on the tracks several times a day, but it's when they come to a complete stop, blocking the intersection, that businesses on the other side are cut off for sometimes hours at a time.
"It's very frustrating that we're blocked in, blocked out, both ways," said June Miller, who works for one of the companies.
"Our supervisors have jobs ready for them to go to,” said Jennifer Ladow of Hawkeye Construction. “It makes them late, and a lot of times, they get frustrated and they just go home, which means no pay."
And no deliveries.
A company called Pinnacle Heating and Air Conditioning has documented more than 80 such stops last year alone.
While a sign at the crossing appears to encourage people to call CSX if there's a problem, Pinnacle Owner Nick Miller said there's no guarantee it'll answer.
And when it does, "CSX just doesn't give a response,” Miller said. “They tell us the same story all the time. They can't contact anyone in the yard and most of the time they're blocking the tracks by one, two, three train cars."
Miller said the problem is that CSX has a train yard a few miles from the crossing, but the trains are so long that if they stop there, they fail to clear 68th Street by a few rail cars.
It's not only bad for business, it almost cost a worker who suffered from random seizures his life.
"He actually was having an event and we called 911 and the paramedics were stopped and couldn't even make it into the site," Miller said.
Police officers have also found themselves on the wrong side of the tracks unable to respond to calls while they wait for the trains to move.
CSX officials did not respond to requests for comment.
