Final upgrade of Second Avenue railroad crossing to close several blocks Wednesday.
The second and final round of repairs on the railroad crossing at Second Avenue between the YMCA and Riverbend Drive is expected to last from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. today. It will mean closing a good part of the road in that area as a massive crew from Norfolk Southern railroad — probably 130 people — scramble to get upgrades wrapped up. The final decision to move forward — despite the forecast — came at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Last week, crews began work on the crossing and installed a temporary patch rock and coal. After Wednesday’s work, it will be smooth asphalt over the crossing.
Every five years, Norfolk Southern does scheduled maintain for safety purposes, says Richard W. Harris, the director of corporate communications for Norfolk Southern in Atlanta. The Second Avenue crossing is getting a “T & S” update — timber and surfacing. In addition to replacing wooden railroad ties, crews will be aligning the tracks and easing the paving to allow a smooth floor of vehicle traffic across the railway.
Second Avenue is part of a 76-mile improvement, stretching from Dallas to Dalton, he says. Averaging 800 cross ties per mile, you’re looking at nearly 61,000 wooden ties as part of the project. Harris calls the route “the heaviest single main line track in North America,” one that carries 85 million to 88 million gross tons a year. The overall stretch accommodates 65 to 75 trains daily, he adds.
Again, depending on the project getting a final go with the incoming weather, motorists should use Turner McCall, a combination of East 12th Street/Main Street/South Broad or the Bypass to avoid the closed section of Second Avenue.
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