To amend sections 307.203, 5589.20, 5589.22, 5589.23, 5589.24, and 5589.99; to amend, for the purpose of adopting new section numbers as indicated in parentheses, sections 5589.20 (5589.40), 5589.22 (5589.42), 5589.23 (5589.43), and 5589.24 (5589.44); to enact section 5589.41; and to repeal sections 5589.21 and 5589.211 of the Revised Code to create designated access routes across railroads for emergency vehicles.
HB973 creates a new legal framework for “designated access routes” across railroad crossings to help emergency vehicles move through communities without being blocked by trains. The bill authorizes counties, townships, and municipal corporations, in consultation with the Ohio Department of Transportation and local emergency service providers, to designate public streets, roads, or highways as access routes. It then prohibits railroad companies from recklessly allowing stationary rail equipment to obstruct those routes, while carving out exceptions for circumstances beyond the railroad’s control, continuous movement, short switching operations, and compliance with federal law.
The bill also sets enforcement and penalty provisions. A railroad company that violates the new section would be subject to a first-degree misdemeanor and a $1,000 fine for each day of violation, with civil liability for damages arising from an obstruction. Fines collected would go into local railroad grade crossing improvement funds, which counties and municipalities may use for crossing improvements such as signs, signals, gates, and other protective devices. The bill amends related statutes to conform terminology, renumbers existing sections, and repeals prior provisions governing railroad obstructions and related penalties.
HB973 would amend Ohio’s Revised Code to replace and reorganize existing railroad-obstruction provisions, creating a new section specifically aimed at emergency access routes over railroad tracks. It would expand local authority to designate routes, impose new duties on railroad companies to avoid blocking those routes, and establish criminal and civil consequences for violations. The bill also affects county and municipal railroad grade crossing improvement funds by directing fines into those funds and clarifying how the money may be used for crossing safety improvements.
Because the bill was only introduced and has no recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, there is no documented public sentiment from legislative debate. Based on the text, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and emergency-response bill, with an emphasis on protecting ambulances, police, firefighters, and health-care transport from delays at railroad crossings. The overall tone of the bill is pro-safety and pro-local control.
The main potential point of contention is the burden the bill places on railroad companies, which are prohibited from allowing stationary equipment to block designated access routes and face criminal penalties and civil exposure for violations. The bill anticipates this concern by including exceptions for mechanical failures, emergencies, continuous movement, short switching operations, and federal preemption, and by stating that the amendments should not unreasonably burden interstate commerce. Another possible issue is local implementation, since political subdivisions must coordinate with ODOT and emergency providers and must space designated routes at least 7,500 feet apart.