(The following story by Eric Klamut appeared on the Rocky Mount Telegram website on May 12.)
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The CSX Railroad will be performing maintenance on a number of railroad track crossings throughout Rocky Mount.
According to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation, CSX will be tentatively performing track maintenance beginning June 16 and ending July 3.
The work will include surfacing of the track. That entails laying down rock ballast and adjusting the track on the roadbed to assure the track is straight and level.
The maintenance will affect the railroad line that runs between Weldon, Rocky Mount and Benson.
Tracks that run on College Road, Training School Road, Grand Avenue, Goldleaf Street, Thomas Street, Sunset Avenue, Western Avenue and Nash Street in Rocky Mount are all scheduled for work.
Jason Orthner, an engineer with the N.C. DOT Rail Division, said that DOT is notified by the railroad as to when the maintenance will take place.
“N.C. DOT does not have control of what CSX does,” Orthner said. “The locations are the ones that may or may not be resurfaced. They may do all of them, but that’s going to be their call.”
He said that N.C. DOT will work with CSX to maintain traffic flow of the affected railroad crossings.
Because the rail line is one of CSX’s primary corridors, Orthner said, the type of maintenance to be performed usually occurs about every three to four years.
But it also depends on the type of railroad track and its frequency of use, he said.