Some downtown Fayetteville streets closing, traffic being rerouted for railroad maintenance
It's going to be more tedious for people in Fayetteville to get around the downtown area this week.
The city says over 20 railroad crossings on major streets--including some downtown--are being shut down for the CSX Corporation to do maintenance work on train tracks in the area. The maintenance work is scheduled to happen until Friday.
The city is warning residents to prepare for delays, longer commutes and finding alternate routes. Meanwhile, people on the street say they're not happy with the inconvenience, and it's disruptions like this that deter them from coming downtown.
"A lot of people become upset over that," Dave Hooper of Fayetteville said. "Now they've got to make a U-Turn and go back over the ramp. What they gone do about it? What they gonna do?"
"If it's a safety hazard for the people who have lived here and who use those roads to commute every day. That's you know, that's something they definitely need to fix," said Kayla Cook, "especially if it's been an issue for years."
City officials say they have been discussing solutions to relocate the train tracks for years. However, there are no definitive plans to move the tracks in the future at this time.
Krista Abel noted the road shutdowns and disruptions from train tracks in the area are likely especially hazardous and disorienting for people who are not familiar with Fayetteville.
"When you do have tourists come in, that's probably even more problematic for safety concerns because they don't know the area and know which way to go," Abel said.
The city says more road closures coming to Russell Street are expected to be phased in later this week.
More Fayetteville News
'A dream.' Family of Josh Williams reflects on his childhood as he prepares for the Big Game
Fayetteville State University launching more scholarship opportunities with local endowment fund
Historic Black church set to reopen after being displaced by Hurricane Florence nearly 5 years ago
