HARRISBURG, N.C. — The Carolinian rumbled toward Harrisburg at 79 miles an hour, with members of the Harrisburg N.C. Railroad Committee seeing from the train’s perspective how the new high-speed rail project will cut through Harrisburg.
The group left out of the Amtrak station in Charlotte — headed to Raleigh — to meet with members of the N.C. Department of Transportation, to continue discussing how to limit the negative impact the project will have on Harrisburg.
As a result, Harrisburg N.C. Railroad Committee members have been able to work with staff from N.C. DOT to develop proposed redesigns that will change its affect on the town. There will be a joint public status update regarding the changes. The meeting is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 26 at the Harrisburg Town Hall.
N.C. DOT officials told the committee members they will also write a memorandum of understanding, which lays out the proposed changes.
The design updates stem from the Piedmont Improvement Program, which has the N.C. Department of Transportation modernizing the North Carolina Railroad Company rail corridor from Charlotte to Raleigh.
It is part of a broader rail modernization program, funded with $545 million in federal recovery funds being spent to boost the economy. Officials said with the railroad project there will be plenty of construction to put people back to work.
On the trip from Charlotte, the Harrisburg contingent left the station about 7 a.m. and within minutes was racing through Harrisburg. The group was joined by Jason T. Orthner, an engineering manager for rail design and construction with N.C. Department of Transportation Rail Division, out of Raleigh.
Orthner took the train down the night before to host the committee’s ride to Raleigh and to brief the group while the train traveled across the track. As the N.C. Railroad Committee members settled in, they looked out the window, watching the scenery slip by.
“Now we’re coming up on the Shamrock situation,” committee member Chuck Paxton said as they passed by the Shamrock Road railroad crossing. Initially, the crossing was scheduled to be closed, which would have cut off access to N.C. 49 for the industries on Shamrock Road.
But now, after working with N.C. DOT, Shamrock Road looks to have a truncated closing, cutting off the residential portion of Shamrock Road, but leaving it open for businesses to access N.C. 49.
While tractor-trailers leave Shamrock Road area on a regular basis, the high-speed rail will offer an alternative to traffic clogging up the highways and can be used by industries to ship freight, instead of carrying it in tractor-trailers.
“There’s a move to pull truck trailers off of the highway and get them on the railroad. For every trailer on the highway is a driver,” Orthner said over the rattle of the train. “A train can hold as many as 150 to 200 trailers, with basically two crew members.”
THE FUTURE
Orthner added that the route through Harrisburg is the busiest in the state. He said it is part of a freight link that runs from the Atlanta area to New Orleans. It also connects to networks in the Midwest.
“It is a vital link,” Orthner said.
As the Carolinian made its way to Raleigh, it passed through Harrisburg and began to slow because of a switch where the track goes from single track to double track.
The train was able to regain speed just north of Rocky River Road, climbing back up to 79 miles an hour. The high-speed rail project would add a second track that would eliminate the need for a speed reduction caused by using single-track locations.
“That’s where you pick up speed going to Raleigh,” Paxton said.
Before long the group was in Kannapolis.
“Twenty three minutes from Charlotte to Kannapolis,” Paxton said as they pulled into the station for a brief stop.
Once the group made its way to Raleigh, they were able to sit down with Orthner and others from the N.C. DOT to discuss the potential changes.
One change involves the Roberta Road extension having a four-lane bridge, instead of a two-lane bridge. A bridge will connect Stallings Road to Roberta Road, creating the Roberta Road extension.
N.C. DOT was able configure the bridge to accommodate four lanes. When it opens it will only have two actual lanes on it, but a developer will be able to add the other two lanes, officials said.
The Roberta Road extension looks to be completed sometime in 2015. At that time, N.C. DOT will close down Robinson Church Road, allowing that road to stay open until about mid-2015. Hickory Ridge Road could also stay open until some time in 2015.
The meeting with N.C. DOT also provided answers for the committee to give to residents wondering why they can’t have a bridge at Robinson Church Road.
Officials would have to raise the landscape by more than 20 feet to accommodate a bridge there Plus, a bridge located there would take out several homes and businesses
Others have also asked why N.C. DOT can’t just tunnel under the. Officials said that the area is prone to flooding, and if they did build a tunnel it would be underwater when the area floods.
In the end, the trip to Raleigh allowed the N.C. DOT to answer a lot of questions and help to get Harrisburg a plan that will ease the project’s impact more than previously announced.
“Altogether, I would consider our adventure with them a success,” Harrisburg Town Councilman Brian Leepard said. “They sat down, we had communication back and fourth, and at the end of the day this is a win for Harrisburg.”