STRESS
STRESS WILDLIFE THIS YEAR. VERY COOL SHOT THOUGH.
700 ELK COMING ACROSS THE ROAD.
>>> YOU KNOW THE MUSIC.
THAT MEANS IT IS TIME FOR AN
ALL NEW DRIVING ME CRAZY.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN LATE TO WORK
BECAUSE OF A TRAIN?
I HAVE NOT RECENTLY BUT IT HAS
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. >> WE DON'T GET AFFECTED HERE
ON 15th AND JEFFERSON AT 3:00
IN THE MORNING.
MY WIFE DEALS WITH IT ALL THE
TIME DOWN THERE BY OMSI.
ACCORDING TO ODOT, THERE ARE
NEARLY 400 TRAIN CROSSINGS IN
THE METRO AREA ALONE.
CHRIS McGINNESS TAX AILING
TOPIC THAT DRIVES PEOPLE CRAZY.
>> I GOT CAUGHT IN NOT ONE BUT
TWO DIFFERENT CROSSINGS WHEN I
WAS GOING OUT TO DO THIS STORY.
SO HOW APPROPRIATE, RIGHT?
THE SCHEDULE IS UNPREDICTABLE.
THEY CAN TAKE FOREVER TO CLEAR,
RIGHT IN THEY CAN TAKE 10, 15,
20, 30 MINUTES OR MORE.
AND THAT IS DRIVING PORTLAND
DRIVERS CRAZY.
DRIVERS CRAZY. THE UNION PACIFIC MAINTAINS
ABOUT 1100 MILES OF RAIL IN
OREGON WHICH CARRY MORE THAN
215,000 RAILCARS FULL OF OREGON
PRODUCTS EVERY YEAR.
BUILDING PRODUCT, WILL YOU
PLEASEBERG CHRISTMAS TREES, ALL
EXPORTED FROM OREGON.
THE RAILROAD PLAYS A BIG PART
IN OREGON COMMERCE BUT IT IS
ALSO A BIG PAIN IN THE -- TO
PORTLAND DRIVERS.
PORTLAND DRIVERS. >> EVERYBODY GETS STUCK.
WAIT 10 TO 15 TO 20 FOR THE
DARN TRAIN.
DARN TRAIN. >> SOMETIMES IT JUST STOPS.
>> NOBODY IS MOVING AND NOBODY
IS DOING ANYTHING.
>> Reporter: STOPPING RUNNERS
IN THEIR TRACKS.
WHO CAN FORGET THE TRAIN
CROSSING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
LAST YEAR'S PORTLANDATHON.
STUCK ON THE I-5 EXIT TO OMSI?
GOOD CHANCE THERE IS ANOTHER
TRAIN BEHIND THAT BACKUP.
THIS CLOSING WE CLOCKED AT 14
MINUTES, 16 FREIGHT TRAINS A
DAY ROLL THESE RAILS NEAR
SOUTHEAST YAMHILL.
SOUTHEAST YAMHILL. THERE IS THE NIGHTMARE ON
SOUTHEAST DIVISION.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION. >> AT LEAST TWO DAYS A WEEK
EVERY WEEK BEING I AM STRUCK
BEHIND THE DIVISION NIGHTMARE
OF THE TRAINS.
>> THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT
RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE TRAIN
WHERE WE GET STUCK, IT'S ONE
WAY SO ONCE YOU'RE THERE,
YOU'RE THERE.
YOU'RE THERE. YOU CAN'T TURN AND DETOUR.
YOU'RE LIKE COMMITTED.
>> Reporter: TRIMMETTE'S BUS
LINE 70 SOMETIMES HAS TO DIVERT
AROUND SOUTHEAST DIVISION DUE
TO THE TRAIN TRAFFIC.
WE ASKED ODOT IF THERE IS
ANYTHING THEY COULD DO TO GIVE
PORTLAND DRIVERS ENOUGH ADVANCE
WARNING TO FIND AN ALTERNATE
ROUTE.
ROUTE.
ROUTE. SO
ROUTE. SO IF THERE WAS A SIGN THERE.
>> THAT WOULD BE GREAT I COULD
GO ANOTHER WAY.
>> I THINK IDEALLY THEY SHOULD
MAKE SOME KIND OF PLUG-IN TO
GOOGLE MAPS OR WAZE SO IT
SOLVES THE PROBLEM LONG TERM.
THAT WOULD BE BETTER FOR
EVERYONE.
EVERYONE.
EVERYONE. >> I MOON I LIKE HER IDEA.
IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE LIKE THE
IDEA OF VAGUE WARNING.
SO I WONDER WHAT ODOT HAS TO
SAY ABOUT IT.
>> ODOT FREQUENTLY DOES THIS
FOR LIKE INTERSTATE BRIDGE
LIFTS.
LIFTS.
LIFTS. THEY PUT OUT AN ADVANCE WARNING
SOMETIMES 10 TO 15 MINUTES.
THEY DO AN EMAIL PUSH WHICH
THEN SIGNALS VARIOUS APPS.
THEY ALSO HAVE A WARNING SIGN
ON THE FREEWAY, TWO MILES FROM
THE BRIDGE AT COLUMBIA
BOULEVARD SAY THAT SAYS THERE
IS AN STRAT PRINCE GEORGE'S
LIFT IN PROGRESS.
IT AT LEAST GIVES YOU THE
OPPORTUNITY TO GET OFF THE
FREEWAY AND FIND ANOTHER ROUTE.
YOU COULD ARGUE THAT IS NOT THE
BEST SPOT FOR IT.
IT SHOULD BE FARTHER BACK.
BUT THE POINT IS THEY ALREADY
DO IT SO IT WOULDN'T BE A BIG
STRETCH TO DO IT AT SOME OF
THOSE EXTRA TEENAGE --
STRATEGIC TRAIN CROSSINGS.
>> HE SOME WORKS OUT OF THAT
MUSTARD YELLOW BUILDING WHERE
WATER AVENUE TURN INTO HIS
STARK STREET.
STARK STREET. AND THERE IS A TRAIN THAT RUNS
BEHIND THAT BUILDING.
SOMETIMES A ON THE PHONE WITH
HER, SHE'S LIKE I'LL BE HOME IN
30 -- HERE COMES THE TRAIN.
I'LL BE HOME IN AN HOUR.
>> THERE ARE A DOZEN RAIL
CROSSINGS ON THAT QUARTER MILE
OR HALF MILE STRETCH OF WATER
AVENUE BETWEEN SOUTHEAST CLAY
AND STARK AND THAT AREA IS
OBVIOUSLY BACKING UP THE
FREEWAY.
FREEWAY.
FREEWAY. THAT IS ONE OF THE BIG TROUBLE
SPOTS.
SPOTS.
SPOTS. >>
SPOTS. >> I LOVE YOUR SEGMENTS,Y.
THEY ALWAYS GET PEOPLE TALKING.
IF YOU HAVE A SPOT THAT IS
DRIVING YOU CRAZY, LET'S GIVE
CHRIS A LITTLE PLUG HERE.
EMAIL CHRIS AND YOU CAN ALSO
FIND HIM ON FACEBOOK OR ON
TWITTER.
TWITTER.
TWITTER. >> THIS WAS ACTUALLY A VIEWER
SUGGESTION FROM VIEWER SARAH
THERE