By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE — Notices will start going out next month to residents, businesses and others whose property will be affected by a plan to add a second set of tracks between Salisbury and Kannapolis, state officials said Monday.
China Grove town officials met Monday with representatives from the N.C. Railroad Company, N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division and others to discuss the project, which is part of a plan to increase rail speeds and capacity and improve safety along the corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte.
Norfolk Southern Railway, which operates trains along the entire corridor under a lease agreement with N.C. Railroad Company, is also a partner in the project being paid for with $545 million in federal funds.
In addition to adding a second set of tracks along a 10-mile route between Salisbury and Kannapolis, the state will straighten curves, increase clearances, improve the signal system and switches between tracks and build bridges to separate train and vehicle traffic.
At Monday’s meeting, Jason Orthner, an engineering manager for rail design and construction with the state’s Rail Division, told town officials the project is entering the final design phase.
China Grove officials said they were concerned about how the closing of certain crossings would impact motorists, property owners and most importantly emergency services such as fire and police.
One proposal would extend Kimball Road east from North Main Street to Chapel Street and construct a new bridge carrying the railroad tracks over the Kimball Road extension. That would replace the Thom Street, Eudy Road, and North Central Avenue railroad crossings, meaning emergency services would need to plan responses without using them.
Interim Town Manager Ken Deal said after the meeting the town will take appropriate steps to continue safety of its citizens.
“We hope with enough notification it would not be an issue,” he said.
Some potential changes would impact structures like Lutheran Chapel Church at Eudy Road and Main Street, not far from Food Lion.
The Rail Division would remove the church’s current parking lot, close part of Eudy Road at the railroad crossing and replace the closed portion with a new parking lot.
At Monday’s meeting, several town board members also looked at maps displaying different options the state is considering. At the least, construction would close Centerview Street for three to four months.
Orthner told the group the plan is to have construction begin in the spring of 2013 with construction ending in early 2017.
Officials continue to look at crossings to see when and which crossings can be replaced, upgraded or closed.
For China Grove project information, visit the North Carolina Department of Transportation, High Profile Projects and Studies at www.ncdot.gov/projects/RailReidKannapolis/.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.