Click to enlarge.
The completed Worthington grade separation project. The camera is looking east toward the new Columbus Delaware & Marion Electric Co.,
Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad bridges.
The stairs on the left lead up to the Worthington Coal and Supply Co. office and the CD&M station.
Travelers on East Grandville Road (State Route 161) are much safer and no longer inconvenienced by the heavy train traffic.
CD&M, PRR, NYC - State Route 161
1931 Grade Separation Project
By the late 1920s heavy railroad and automobile traffic were having a hard time coexisting on the east side of Worthington, Ohio. Slow PRR north bound coal drags and twelve very fast passenger trains on the NYC RR as well as trains holding in the NYC RR passing siding all contributed to the blocking of State Route 161 the east-west highway through Worthington. To add to the problem the PRR crossed the NYC RR just south of SR 161 providing another opportunity for trains to have to stop, blocking the highway. In 1916 when the PRR was doubled tracked both steam roads were re-graded causing the railroads to sit higher than the highway further increasing the hazard for the automobile driver.
Besides being a safety problem it interfered with access to Howard Potter's lumber yard located between the PRR and NYC RR tracks. This may have motivated Mr. Potter to became chairman of the Worthington Chamber of Commerce's grade crossing committee which lobbied for the grade separation project. Work started in April of 1931 with the building of a temporary road to detour around the area. Automobile traffic begin using the new underpasses on December 24, 1931.
The slide shows on the left hold photos of the construction as well as shots of the finished project. Also shown are two rare shots of the Columbus Delaware & Marion Electric Co. depot. The CD&ME Co. called this location Worthington Junction while the two steam roads called it just Worthington. All three railroads had a depot near SR 161 when these photos were taken.
