Local

Closed railroad crossings derail traffic in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A traffic nightmare in southeast Charlotte was caused by closed railroad crossings, frustrating drivers trying to get through.

More than 25,000 drivers cross the railroad tracks on Sharon Amity and Monroe roads daily.

But now, those drivers are trying to find alternate routes.

Channel 9 was at the closed railroad crossings, where crews have been working, as dozens of cars were forced to make U-turns.

Cathy Gray said she was woken up at 3 a.m. as construction crews worked to repair the tracks.

It was one of seven railways being repaired in the area.

"Pounding, grinding, unbelievable noise that is hard to explain,” Gray said. "I'm, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what the heck is happening?’”

Gray said her two-mile commute to work took her nearly an hour because of the traffic congestion.

“I think the highest I got at one point was five miles an hour,” she said.

Other drivers weren't so patient.

A video taken by reporter Stephanie Tinoco shows an SUV driving around the "Road Closed" barricades. The SUV makes it over the first hump of the tracks on North Sharon Amity Road but fail  to get over the second hump.

Thankfully, there aren’t any trains running because of the construction.

The woman said, off camera, that she was in a hurry to see a doctor.

"Oh my goodness,” said Linda Bunch, another frustrated driver. “That probably would have been me because I want to get there. It's 200 feet away "

[CAUGHT ON CAM: CATS, school buses driving around railroad barricades]

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said this was the first call they’ve received of a vehicle stuck on the tracks since construction begun.

Several railway crossings are shut down across Charlotte for repairs, which has left drivers frustrated.

[Motorists frustrated with railroad crossing barricades]

Channel 9 has been tracking railroad crossing closures all week.

Our cameras have captured cars, even school buses, going through closures.

Emergency medical service officials said they have multiple trucks strategically placed around the area, all GPS tracked, and are constantly in communication with dispatch to make sure they respond to emergencies as quickly as possible.

Earlier in the week, train tracks on Central Avenue were mistakenly shut down a day early. Channel 9 saw drivers dangerously ignore the signs and drive around the barricades, moments before a CSX train passed over.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: