State will move Central Avenue rail crossing in Landis Oct. 8

Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:07 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

LANDIS — Construction crews for the N.C. Department of Transportation will permanently move the Central Avenue rail crossing in Landis on Oct. 8, the second Wednesday of the month.

The new at-grade crossing will move 600 feet north of the existing Central Avenue crossing, which connects to Main Street (U.S. 29A) just north of downtown Landis.

State road officials already have posted signs alerting motorists of the crossing closure.

The crossing was moved to the new location to improve sight distance for motorists. The Central Avenue crossing was identified for closure and reconstruction as part of the town's agreement to close the Round Street crossing.

Both crossings were identified as part of a Traffic Separation Study between N.C. Department of Transportation and the town of Landis and are part of the state agency's overall effort to reduce the number of at-grade crossings throughout the state.

State officials have put a special emphasis on reducing the number of crossing between the line serving Raleigh-Charlotte corridor, which will allow passenger trains to travel that route faster.

State officials say they consider many of those crossings redundant or unsafe.

When possible, the department works with communities to close or consolidate redundant or low volume crossings. Since 1993, the Department of Transportation has closed more than 121 public at-grade rail crossings.