SALEM Rail crossings: get smoothed

SALEM -- If motorists driving on city streets with railroad tracks are finding smoother going at the crossings, they can thank a recently completed project.
Prompted by drivers' complaints about bumpy railroad crossings in the city and the city's insistence that something be done, Norfolk Southern railroad undertook a project last year to renovate the crossings, which are all owned by the company.
The effort is now completed, Salem service Director Joe Julian said Monday.
"It made it a lot smoother compared to what it used to be," Julian said of the work.
Although public roads intersect with the two sets of tracks that run side by side, the lines themselves are considered private property, which is why no city money was involved in the project, Julian said.
Crossings that were repaired were those on South Lincoln, South Ellsworth and Newgarden avenues; West Wilson, West Pershing and Mullins streets, and Allen Road.
Work started in mid-2002.
Crews worked mostly at night when train traffic was lighter, Julian said.
To eliminate the potholes and uneven pavement at the crossings, crews ripped out railroad ties and replaced them with new ones.
Other repair work included putting down new blacktop to level the surface. The repairs are expected to keep the crossings in shape for a long time to come, Julian said.