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Contact: Julia Jarema
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Thomasville Celebrates 12 Years of Rail Improvements
Thomasville,
Aug 29, 2005 -
The North Carolina Department of Transportation joined with Congressman Howard Coble, Davidson County legislators and Thomasville City Council members today to celebrate the completion of a decade-long railroad safety improvement project.
The NCDOT first began working with Thomasville in 1993 to assess what steps could be implemented to reduce the risk of train/vehicle collisions in the town.
“In the 1990s we began a concerted effort to reduce travel time between Charlotte and Raleigh,” explained David King, deputy secretary for the NCDOT. “Thomasville was one of the first communities to step forward and indicate its interest to work with our rail division engineers and close hazardous crossings.”
With 35 freight trains and six passenger trains passing through Thomasville daily, city council members agreed to work with the state to make improvements to nine at-grade crossings.
“Three crossings were improved by adding warning signals and better gates,” said Thomasville Mayor Joe Bennett. “The Boyles, Loftin, College and Hoover Street crossings were closed entirely. We also worked with the NCDOT to construct overpasses at Unity and Peace Streets. Reducing the number of rail-highway crossings reduces the potential for any collisions,” explained King. “It also helps us to reduce the travel time along this route for our passenger and freight trains.”
Collectively, the 12-year project represents more than $10 million in improvements to the community.
Congressman Howard Coble, who attended the ceremony, praised the state’s and city’s efforts to improve safety and rail infrastructure.
“The tracks that run through the heart of Thomasville represent commerce – businesses shipping their products throughout the country. This initiative enables industry to move forward while ensuring the safety of freight and passenger traffic,” said Congressman Coble.
Since work began in Thomasville, dozens of other communities have worked with the state to close rail crossings where there is a potential risk. But with roughly 4,200 public crossings in North Carolina, the NCDOT would like more to follow suit.
“Thomasville was our role model, and we hope other towns will take a look at the work that’s been completed here and begin thinking about crossings within their own community that could be made safer,” said Pat Simmons, director of the NCDOT Rail Division.
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