On Monday the N.C. Department of Transportation will begin a rail project to add 11 miles of second track to the Norfolk Southern line between Salisbury and Kannapolis, the agency said in a news release today.
Additionally, the work will involve upgrading some railroad crossings and permanently closing others, extending Kimball Road from Main Street to Center Avenue, and constructing a bridge carrying the North Carolina Railroad tracks over Kimball Road.
The project limits extend along U.S. 29 from Airport Road in Salisbury to 18th Street in Kannapolis.
The $19.9 million project is part of the Piedmont Improvement Program, a series of projects to improve the rail corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte for freight and passenger trains.
The construction of a second track will allow trains to pass each other more easily, which will in turn improve travel times for trains along the Raleigh to Charlotte corridor. Closing and upgrading crossings will help better separate vehicle and train traffic, improving safety.
The estimated project completion date is Nov. 16, 2016.
The impact to motorists will be minor until work on the crossings starts next year, the news release said. Notices will be sent out to alert the public about road closures and detours.
Crossings to be permanently closed as part of this project are:
• Reid Farm Road, Salisbury
• Mount Hope Church Road, China Grove
• Tom Street, China Grove
• North Central Avenue, Landis
• East Mill Street, Landis
• 29th Street, Kannapolis
Crossings to be upgraded as part of this project are:
• Webb Road, Salisbury
• Church Street, China Grove
• Centerview Drive, China Grove
• Ryder Avenue, Landis
• 22nd Street, Kannapolis
• 18th Street, Kannapolis