NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Ladson Road, a highly trafficked road in the tri-county, closed Monday morning as Norfolk Southern crews continue to work on railroad crossings throughout North Charleston and Summerville.
Monday begins the second week of closures which have wreaked havoc on the commutes for many in the area. A lack of communication from Norfolk Southern pushed North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey to speak out last Thursday, saying the city would not be “railroaded.”
Last Wednesday, railroad repair crews closed Ashley Phosphate Road for a majority of the day with conflicting reports and confusion about when the crossing would reopen.
Black Bottom Road closed early Monday with repairs to the Ladson Road crossing starting at 9 a.m.
Norfolk Southern Railway says there are two phases to the maintenance work.
In the first phase, crews remove the asphalt, insert the new rail and place temporary cold patch over the rail until the second phase.
A train train unloads 1,440-foot ribbons of rail that are over a quarter-mile long pieces, tons of ballast, tie plates, kegs of rail spikes and bags of rail anchors along the track.
It’s called “setting the table.”
Officials say the second phase is handled by a work crew comprised of more than 75 employees and more than 40 pieces of equipment which stretch for more than a mile from end to end.
They say the temporary crossing surface is removed and the new rail is permanently placed and finished with asphalt. As part of the process, each highway crossing will be resurfaced providing motorists with a smooth ride over the tracks
All work is scheduled to take place between 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
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