Troublesome rail crossing to be fixed. Norfolk Southern will do repairs per DOT
Large gaps between the rails and the road on Hwy. 115 at the FXI Foam Plant plant spell trouble for motorists and bike riders.
April 15. By Dave Vieser. A troublesome freight line crossing on Highway 115 in Cornelius will be repaired in the near future, according to NCDOT. The line, which brings rail cars in and out of the FXI Foam Plant, has been causing problems for both motorists and bicyclists due to large spaces between the rail and the highway’s asphalt.
The agreement to repair the crossing came just hours after officials from the DOT and Norfolk Southern were contacted by Cornelius Today.
“The railroad will be handling all the repairs, with NCDOT assisting with traffic control as needed” said DOT spokeswoman Jordan-Ashley Baker. “We expect that the railroad will be contacting our local maintenance staff soon to discuss a schedule for the work moving forward. We’ll alert the public of any road closures related to the work, once we are made aware of the schedule.”
That’s good news for those who travel regularly through that area on NC 115. “The deterioration of the road is awful but most drivers do not realize the damage the vehicles are receiving because they drive too fast passing through the site” said Nelson Acosta Sr. of Cornelius. He and several other motorists posted recent messages on facebook stating that their cars’ alignments were thrown out by the poor condition of the crossing.
The crossing has also proven to be problematic for bike riders. “My husband is an avid bicyclist “said Amy Hallman of Huntersville, “and I can tell you that it’s also really dangerous for the bicyclists.”
The FXI spur runs off of Norfolk Southern’s single track freight line which operates from Charlotte up to Mooresville. It has several regular freight customers, and usually has one train per day that runs from Charlotte up to Cornelius. There are currently no regularly scheduled trains between Cornelius and Moorseville according to Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman. Trains travel slowly (10 mph maximum speed), and crossings are protected by gates and crews.
The line was also once eyed as the right-of-way for a future commuter rail service but negotiations have stalled since the railroad has, thus far, opposed the idea.
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Below is an email string I wanted to share regarding this railroad crossing. You will see the response from March of last year that it would be “repaired in the future.” By chance did the indicate what future?
Thanks
Linda Price
Unfortunately, those are the only contacts I have.
Tyler Beardsley
Project Manager
Town of Cornelius
O: 704.892.6031 ext 127
C: 704.746.4962
Email correspondence to and from this sender is subject to the NC Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
—–Original Message—–
From: Anthony Roberts
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2015 1:12 PM
To: Tyler Beardsley; ‘Linda Price’; Ricky Overcash
Subject: RE: Railroad Tracks crossing Hwy 115 into FXI facility
Tyler:
I left a message for Perry. Harvey and Rick’s tel. # are either disconnected or some lady named Vicky. Do you have another contact?
Anthony Roberts,
Cornelius Town Manager
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email correspondence to and from this sender is subject to the N.C. Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
—–Original Message—–
From: Tyler Beardsley
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 4:23 PM
To: Anthony Roberts; ‘Linda Price’; Ricky Overcash
Subject: RE: Railroad Tracks crossing Hwy 115 into FXI facility
Anthony,
I have not heard anything from Norfolk Southern regarding the crossing. Attached are 3 contacts that may be able to give us some information.
Tyler Beardsley
Project Manager
Town of Cornelius
O: 704.892.6031 ext 127
C: 704.746.4962
Email correspondence to and from this sender is subject to the NC Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
—–Original Message—–
From: Anthony Roberts
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 3:13 PM
To: ‘Linda Price’; Ricky Overcash; Tyler Beardsley
Subject: RE: Railroad Tracks crossing Hwy 115 into FXI facility
Ricky/Tyler:
Send me your RR and/or NCDOT Rail Division contacts so I can reach out to someone. Thanks.
Anthony Roberts,
Cornelius Town Manager
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email correspondence to and from this sender is subject to the N.C. Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
—–Original Message—–
From: Anthony Roberts
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2015 12:24 PM
To: ‘Linda Price’; Ricky Overcash; Tyler Beardsley
Subject: RE: Railroad Tracks crossing Hwy 115 into FXI facility
Ricky/Tyler:
What is status from RR?
Anthony
—–Original Message—–
From: Linda Price [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2015 12:22 PM
To: Anthony Roberts
Subject: RE: Railroad Tracks crossing Hwy 115 into FXI facility
Just wondering if there has been any updates.
Thank you
Linda Price
—–Original Message—–
From: Anthony Roberts [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2015 7:05 AM
To: Woody T. Washam; Ricky Overcash; Tyler Beardsley
Cc: Linda Price; Cindy Johnston
Subject: Re: Railroad Tracks crossing Hwy 115 into FXI facility
Ricky/Tyler:
See below. I thought this section of track was scheduled for repair by the RR already. I don’t recall whether they were going to put in concrete, rubber, or repave. Can one of you give us an update?
If we can’t get them to fix it soon we need to see if our folks in DC can help. Thanks.
Anthony Roberts,
Town Manager
On Mar 12, 2015, at 2:24 PM, Woody T. Washam <[email protected]> wrote:
Linda,
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I will pass this on to our Town Manager and feel hopeful that we can elevate this in some way to assist with this problem. We will be back in touch and keep you updated. Hope you are doing well.
Woody
Woody Washam, Jr.
Mayor Pro Tem
Town of Cornelius
P.O. Box 399
Cornelius, NC 28031
704.892.6031 (Town Hall)
704.662.2122 (cell)
[email protected]
http://www.cornelius.org
On Mar 12, 2015, at 2:04 PM, “Linda Price”
<[email protected]> wrote:
Prior to school starting last year, I attempted to find who was responsible for the maintenance of the tracks crossing Highway 115 into FXI at 18801 Old Statesville Rd. They were in terrible condition at that time and have greatly deteriorated since then.
I was advised by Town of Cornelius to contact Norfolk Southern regarding this matter. During the first contact with them I was advised they would send someone out to determine if FXI or Norfolk Southern were responsible for maintenance.
When repair work began on the tracks running along Highway 115, I was very hopeful. Unfortunately these tracks were not repaired. On January 5th, I again called Norfolk Southern questioning why these tracks were left out and was advised someone would return my call. After receiving no call, I again called on February 4th and Patricia advised she would check on and if I didn’t hear back in a couple of days to call back.
I again called after hearing nothing and at that time Patricia patched me through to Garrett. He stated these tracks which I’ve now learned are called “spur” tracks were maintained through a different department than tracks running along Highway 115. He also stated they were on the agenda to be repaired but no date had been determined.
These tracks are now in a terrible state and myself along with several others now slow down to cross. In doing this yesterday, I was almost rear ended by the car behind me who obviously didn’t see my brake lights or realize I was slowing down. Several school buses cross these tracks daily and I would think the condition of the tracks would add additional wear and tear to them. Every day I travel at least 4 times over these tracks and there condition and lack of repairs is of great concern to me.
Since I have come to a dead end concerning this matter, is there anyway the Town of Cornelius could “encourage” Norfolk Southern to expedite repairs?
Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Linda Price
(704) 892-1936