Demetric People has listened to the roar of freight trains barreling through Sidon for 25 years.
He has seen children ride bikes around the tracks and watched his neighbors speed through Sidon's only crossing trying to beat the train.
When he heard the news about a potential gate across the railroad crossing, People's face lit up. "This will save our lives," he said.
Willis Engineering will petition for a gated crossing from the Mississippi Department of Transportation on behalf of Leflore County. The engineering firm works under contract for the county.
Robert Willis, an engineer, told supervisors recently that MDOT estimates a gated crossing could cost $180,000.
District 5 Supervisor Larry "Kite" Johnson has spearheaded the gated crossing effort for his constituents.
The last fatal accident in Sidon occurred in March 2002 when a Canadian National-Illinois Central freight train struck and killed a Tchula farmer as he crossed the tracks on his tractor.
The train hit the tractor fast enough to split it in two, and a flying axle snapped a nearby utility pole in half.
Said Johnson of the gate, "This is a preventive measure. It shouldn't take another fatality to wake people up."
The District 5 supervisor said he would take whatever steps were necessary, including calling state legislators.
Gae Blain, director of external affairs for MDOT, said engineering studies on the railroad crossing will begin in the spring.
MDOT will judge Leflore County's request on criteria from the Federal Railroad Administration. If Sidon's hazard rating is high, said Blain, it will be put at the top of the list.
Otherwise, residents in Sidon could wait several years before they see a crossing.
Investigators will consider the frequency of accidents at the site, total cost of the project and the frequency certain vehicles cross the tracks. These vehicles include school buses and trucks with hazardous materials in their loads.
Federal dollars will pay the $180,000 price tag that accompanies the crossing.
The gate costs a lot because of the technology needed to trigger the safety devices, Blain said.
Price said freight trains pass through Sidon about 10 times a day, and the Amtrak twice a day. It's the Amtrak passenger train that worries him the most. "That thing just flies through here."
