State crews will move concrete barriers in front of the crossings Monday morning and begin tearing up and hauling off the asphalt roadways leading to the tracks.

The closings culminate months of sometimes contentious debate between some citizens and city and state officials.

State Rail Division engineers pushed for the closings as part of a regional crossing consolidation project they say is based on safety concerns. Opponents say the closings benefit only Norfolk Southern railroad, which leases the state-owned tracks and runs more than 30 freight trains a day through Kannapolis.

City Council agreed last fall to close Plymouth and East C streets, both part of the municipal street system. Some residents criticized the board for not consulting their constituents before agreeing to cooperate with the state.

Board members countered that cooperation helped land a commitment from the state to build at least one rail overpass in the city.

Michael Shumsky, state Rail Division project engineer, said the closings would have little effect on traffic because other crossings are nearby. The East C Street crossing, for example, is within 1,000 feet of a crossing at East First Street.

‘‘We’re real confident this is the safest thing to do, and our studies indicate there would be very little traffic impact during the crossing closures,’’ he said.

Shumsky pointed out that trains and vehicles have collided three times in the past 10 years at the Ebenezer Road crossing and twice at Plymouth Street. One of the Ebenezer Road accidents claimed a life.

The regional crossing consolidation project should help the state improve its rail safety record, Shumsky said, noting that North Carolina ranks 14th in nation for accidents at crossings.

State road crews and Norfolk Southern employees recently reached an agreement with city officials to take on the project and landscape around the crossings.

At Ebenezer Road, crews will remove the asphalt from both sides of the track to U.S. 29A and Ridge Avenue, then ‘‘grade and seed’’ the earth beneath, Shumsky said. ‘‘It will be like the crossing was never there.’’

The crews will complete similar work at the East C and Plymouth street crossings, but they will leave the pavement partially in place to allow access to parking lots.