Peetz residents object to BNSF plan to close two crossings

Closing the railroad crossings at County Roads 76 and 78 would force Peetz-area traffic onto different routes north of town, and residents made clear Thursday evening that they do not accept that tradeoff without answers from BNSF and local officials.

The objections came during a community meeting at Peetz School, where the proposal drew a strong response because it reaches far beyond two crossings on a map. In a town this size, those crossings are part of the daily transportation pattern for farm traffic, school-related trips, family travel and emergency access. For residents, the issue was not simply whether a railroad line would be safer or more efficient; it was who would absorb the disruption if access changed.

The proposal has been building for months. Logan County commissioners were told on Feb. 24 that BNSF had contacted the county about closing two crossings at Peetz. According to the county’s work session minutes, the railroad initially discussed closing County Road 74, then said it wanted to close County Roads 76 and 78 instead. The same minutes say BNSF proposed adding crossing arms and lights on County Road 74 so that the two crossings in town would be the ones with lights and crossgates.

That sequence matters in Peetz because the railroad has already tested the town’s willingness to give up access. In September 2025, the Peetz Town Board turned down a $200,000 cash offer from BNSF in exchange for closing one crossing. At the time, the choice was framed as closing either the truck route on the north side of Peetz or keeping direct access to downtown Peetz, a decision that underscored how much the crossings matter to local movement and commerce.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has primary jurisdiction over public highway-rail crossings, including opening and closing them, which means the dispute is not likely to be settled by local sentiment alone. Any final decision would move through a formal state process, leaving Peetz residents to press their case against a proposal that could alter how people reach fields, homes and downtown from both sides of the tracks.