Fayetteville drivers raise concerns over 'rough' railroad crossing

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Fayetteville drivers continue to sound off about a "rough" railroad crossing in the downtown area.

Many drivers at the intersection of Russell and Gillespie Streets have grown accustomed to the scraping sound when driving over what they've now dubbed as "the hump."

"Don't wanna go across it too fast...it's gonna shake you and scare you a little bit," said one driver.

If you're not careful, it can cause some damage. Employees inside Cape Fear Finance Co. on Gillespie Street told ABC11 they see it every day.

"Very annoying because you have to stop," said one employee.

In all fairness, there is a sign warning drivers about what's ahead. But folks downtown say the powers that be can do better.

"To me it's pitiful, to be able to put a sign that says rough crossing. It needs to be fixed," said another driver.

ABC11 took those concerns to the DOT who says they're hiring contractors to smooth things out.

Spokesman Andrew Barksdale provided the following statement to ABC11:

"We recognize the need for CSX to maintain their tracks and railroad crossings, which is what they did here in downtown Fayetteville. Their work included elevating the crossing at Russell St. and Gillespie St. The railroad added some pavement within their right of way to match new grade of the crossing. Unfortunately, this improvement has created a bump that requires drivers to go slowly over it.

We will hire a pavement contractor to add more asphalt around the crossing in this intersection to level out the bump and make the transition between our road and their rail crossing smoother.

We intend to hire an on-call contractor very soon, probably this month, to perform the work, which will require some daytime lane closures in this area until it's completed. I don't have more details at this time."