ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP, Ohio — It could still be years before families have a better way out of one Ohio neighborhood, as residents say too often they end up trapped by trains. 

What You Need To Know

  • Residents in the Cedar Grove neighborhood in St. Clair Township say they've been held up by trains for hours and in emergencies 

  • Long-time resident, Pam Stroup started a petition that helped bring in a state grant to build an access road 

  • The Butler County Engineers Office says it could still be another two to three years before the new road will be finished 

Just the sound of a train coming makes Pam Stroup nervous. 

“That sound kinda makes you panic a little bit because it’s like how long am I gonna be blocked in here…we don’t know,” said Stroup. 

She lives in the Cedar Grove neighborhood, north of Cincinnati. It’s a neighborhood with more than 200 houses where the only three entrances are surrounded by train tracks.

“I couldn’t get out, I went home and I’m waiting and waiting and the tracks did not clear, I had to cancel my appointment,” said Stroup.

It’s one of countless times she said kept her and her neighbors stuck for hours, even in an emergency.

“We really need something done. There’s a bunch of older people out here. Somebody’s gonna have a heart attack and die because they can’t get out,” said Stroup. 

She says it’s a decades-old problem that was never solved until she decided to do something. After three years of trying, it worked.

“I was extremely excited, I couldn’t believe it, and it takes everybody to make it work,” said Stroup. 

A petition she started fast-tracked a plan for another way out. It’s a plan for an access road that would run alongside Norfolk Southern trains.

Back in January, Greg Wilkens, the Butler County engineer, announced his office got a more than $3M state grant to do the work.

“We’re very thankful for the rail commission and all the parties that took place in this,” said Wilkens. 

But the work hasn’t started yet. He says they’re still early in the right-of-way process and the new road likely won’t be finished for another two to three years.

“We’re just grateful there’s gonna be a road and that we can get out and there’s hope for our future,” said Stroup. 

In the meantime, Stroup said she’s holding on to hope it doesn’t get worse.

“We pray that when we hear that train whistle, we don’t get stuck in here,” said Stroup.