Work should begin in August on improvements to the C Street railroad crossing on the lower east side of Poplar Bluff, according to city officials.
The work needs to be complete before Union Pacific closes the B Street crossing, officials say.
"They are going to close a crossing regardless and we have determined C Street is the most viable to leave open," said city planner Dennis Avery. "C Street has better width and access to the east side."
Work will likely take about 2 1/2 months once started, but must be coordinated with Union Pacific, Avery said.
Union Pacific has said it will not close the second crossing before the city's improvements to the C Street approaches are complete, he continued.
The Poplar Bluff City Council reviewed and approved the lower of two bids for the project last week.
The contract was awarded to RLP Construction of Poplar Bluff at a cost of $208,600. A second bid of $347,800 was received from Robertson, also of Poplar Bluff.
A house at 228 South C St. has to be demolished by the city before the contractor can begin work, Avery said.
The approaches on either side of the tracks can then be lengthened.
The city also wants to reduce the dips in the street intersections north of the railroad tracks.
"We want to alleviate those as much as we can and still maintain drainage," Avery said. "We're going to do all we can to improve the access coming off the highway."
B and C streets provide the only direct access for fire trucks to 11 streets on the lower east side.
The main fire trucks are too large to use at an underpass on F Street, fire chief Ralph Stucker has said previously.
If B Street were to close while construction was underway at C Street, firefighters would have to circle around six miles of county roads to gain access to those homes and properties.
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission is paying approximately $150,000 of costs, with another $47,000 from Union Pacific. The city will contribute about $10,000 and in-kind labor.
Union Pacific may do further work on the C Street signals after construction is finished, Avery said.