By AP/KWMU
Marissa, Ill. – A railroad crossing in the southern Illinois town of Marissa will get gates, nine months after a wreck there claimed three lives.
The Illinois Commerce Commission voted this week to approve plans for the gates in the town about 40 miles southeast of St. Louis where a coal train slammed into an SUV last November.
Three people were killed, including Tina Porter, 43; her 13-year-old daughter, Allaysa; and a 13-year-old friend, Donna Calvert.
A third girl was seriously injured but survived.
The crossing gates will cost about $272,000, with the commission's Grade Crossing Protection Fund paying most of the tab. They should be in place before Labor Day next year.