Drivers fed up with railroad conditions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drivers are fed up with the condition of some railroad crossings off Westinghouse Boulevard. The crossing at Granite Street is filled with potholes, splitting wood and loose bolts.

Mark Devlin works near the Granite Street crossing at Duncan-Parnel. He said improvements in the area are way overdue, especially with the large amount of tractor trailers that travel through the industrial part of Southwest Charlotte.

"The hole is so big now in some of them where the tires bottom out, you can hear the back end hit," said Devlin.

Devlin said some of his co-workers blame the tracks for damage to their cars.

"Definitely noticed that my car is not aligned anymore," said Devlin.

Ed Mcleland manages the business park off Granite Street. He said the uneven surface is also slowing down traffic during rush hour.

"You're lucky to get two or three cars through the green light," he said.

Mcleland said he got into a car accident at the intersection three weeks ago, after he slowed down to cross over onto Westinghouse Boulevard from Granite Street. He said a car driving on Westinghouse blew through a red light and hit him.

"I know a lot of the community leaders have been trying to work with Raleigh and different people in the city to get something addressed, but I have not heard that they are doing anything," said Mcleland.

On Tuesday, an official with Norfolk Southern told Channel 9 they are working to address the crumbling conditions at several railroad crossings in the area.

An official said there is a plan to replace the railroad ties and resurface the crossings at Granite Street and Cordage Street sometime in the next few weeks.

NCDOT said it is currently working on an agreement with Norfolk Southern to make improvements east and west of Interstate 77. They are also talking about making improvements on Westinghouse between Goodrich Drive and Fruehauf Drive.

Cox Media Group