Ledger Inquirer: Railroad official urges patience as crossing work wears on motorists nerves

Work by Norfolk Southern Corporation to repair railroad crossings in Columbus may be wearing on some motorists’ nerves, but a spokesman urges residents to be patient during the required maintenance.

Residents in northeast Columbus have questioned the starting dates for work in their neighborhoods and the appearance of partially finished crossings since work started before Thanksgiving. One reader said her commute to work is usually five minutes but that was turned into 35 on Thursday with closures on Woodruff Farm Road, Lamore Drive and Forrest Road.

“The confusion of the people in this area today was shocking,” said the reader who lives near Wellborn Drive. “On the bright side, a lot of people probably saw parts of Columbus they haven’t before now.”

Jon Glass, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern in Norfolk, Va., said the work is part of routine maintenance to ensure the company can continue to have safe and efficient operation through the city. While the work might be a temporary inconvenience, Glass said it enhances safety and efficiency in the long term.

“We just would ask people to have patience, and we will get work done as quickly as we can and stay out of everybody’s hair hopefully for the next few years,” he said.

Glass said work typically takes two days at each crossing but not on consecutive days. A timber-and-surfacing gang rips out the old asphalt at each crossing, replaces old crossties with new ones and puts down new ballast rock. The crossing is left with a temporary layer of asphalt, allowing the location to reopen to motorists.

By Thursday, Glass said crews had completed work at some crossings in the Midland area and along Woodruff Farm Road, Cargo Drive and Schatulga roads.

If plans go as scheduled, he said crews will finish repaving crossings with a permanent layer of asphalt on Monday to make crossings smoother for motorists. Rain prevented that work Friday.

Some residents complained the work still gave their vehicles a jolt while traveling over the uneven crossings. Many didn’t know crossings get a final layer of asphalt.

“They didn’t level it off, so it is like an obstacle course for your car,” one reader said. “With all three roads having the same problem, it isn’t like we can take an alternate route. We have to go to work.”

Traffic engineer Alex Laffey said residents should wait until the work is completed. “Citizens should give the rail company time for final repairs before determining the condition of the crossing,” he said in response to a concern.

Glass said there still is more work to be done in Columbus at the crossings. While crews have completed crossings in the outlying areas, he said there are probably 40 left to complete closer to downtown. That work will start in the next couple of weeks and is expected to take four to six weeks to complete.

“Norfolk Southern appreciates the patience of Columbus residents as this effort has progressed, and we apologize for any inconvenience the work has caused,” Glass said.

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This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Ledger Inquirer: Railroad official urges patience as crossing work wears on motorists nerves."