Improving Railroad Crossing Safety in Durham

Road and rail safety is an important issue in many cities and Durham is no exception.  In fact, The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has planned three public workshops in Durham to present potential alternatives for improvements to safety, access, and mobility for 18 railroad crossings between Neal Road and Cornwallis Road.

They have invited the public attend to one of these workshops to learn more and provide feedback to the project team.

Potential improvements could include:

• Railroad crossing safety equipment, such as signals or gates
• Roadway overpasses or underpasses
• Closures of railroad highway crossings

Materials will be available for review at the workshops and project team members will be able to answer questions. Comment forms will be available to fill out at the workshop or mail in after the meeting.

Below are the dates for the upcoming workshops.

• March 18th, 2013 from 5-7 PM at the Durham Armory 212 Foster St. Durham, 27701 to discuss Downtown Durham (Gregson St. to Driver St.)
• March 19th, 2013 from 5-7 PM at the Durham Hilton 3800 Hillsborough Rd. Durham, 27705 to discuss Western Durham (Neal Rd. to Buchanan Blvd.)
• March 21st from 5-7 PM at the Holton Resource Center 401 N. Driver St. Durham, 27703 to discuss Eastern Durham (Ellis Rd. to Cornwallis Rd.)

Please contact Sandra Stepney, NCDOT Rail Division, at 919.715.0296 or sastepney@ncdot.gov for more information and to RSVP for one or more of these workshops.

Update on Road Resurfacing Project

Here is a quick update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation about the current road resurfacing project.

On Friday, August 27, 2010, our contractor began the repair work that is required on Mangum Street. The repair work consists of removing the existing thin layer of asphalt and some of the stone base and replacing it with a thicker layer of asphalt. This work must be done prior to paving the final riding surface and will result in a stronger road than currently exists.

The work on Mangum Street is going to take place between the intersection of Pettigrew Street and the NC Hwy. 147 overpass. To maintain safety to the motoring public and those who will be performing the work, lane closures will be installed in this area and some of the lanes being closed will remain in place for several days. The contractor is planning to pursue the majority of this work during the day, which will increase productivity and expedite the work. It is important to remember that three of the four lanes on Mangum Street may be closed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. during this process.

Once Mangum Street is repaired, all lanes will be opened to traffic and our contractor will move to Roxboro Street between Pettigrew Street and Main Street to make repairs in this area as well. Only one lane will be closed on Roxboro Street during this portion of the project.

Although there will be lane closures in these areas, traffic will be maintained. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes while this work is ongoing and those travelling through the work area should plan ahead to allow additional travel time. With good weather and working conditions, we anticipate that this repair work can be completed in approximately two weeks. Once the repairs are completed, the final riding surface on Mangum Street and Roxboro Street will follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide an update on this project and for your continued patience as we work to make better roads for Durham.

Road Resurfacing Update

Amongst the many missions of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, one is to ensure that information about our community is shared effectively and swiftly. A topic on many minds of late is the street resurfacing project undertaken by the NCDOT. Linked is a news advisory from the NCDOT on the matter that should answer most questions. Please contact Durham News Service or the NCDOT if some questions remain.