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CSX Transportation will be doing work on all railroad crossings into West Point. The railroad company is scheduled to lay new rail on all of their crossings in the area, starting with US 29. 

During Tuesday’s work session of the West Point City Council, county manager Ed Moon gave his report. Moon said the railroad company will have to close down all of the railroad crossings into the city in order to do the work, however, they will be staggered. 

The first crossing to begin construction is the railway crossing on West Point Road, near Pinewood Cemetery. The crossing will be closed from June 8 to June 10. 

“The three crossings downtown will be closed sometime after that. One of the crossings should remain open downtown at all times,” said Moon. 

CSX has not scheduled the dates for the downtown crossings as of Wednesday. 

The construction comes after a city decision to reopen the 9th Street crossing to traffic, after months of closure. However, the city stipulated the reopening is only for cars, and tractor-trailers and large trucks would have to use another entrance to the city. 

Councilwoman Sandra Thornton asked if CSX would be doing grading at these points. The grading is what caused issues with tractor-trailers at the Ninth Street crossing when trucks would get stuck on the tracks.

“We’ve been told that it will not increase the height of the track. And the contractor that’s doing the work… said that they’re gonna try to help with those [issues] if they can and put some more asphalt to make that slope better,” Moon replied. 

Moon told the council that the Georgia Department of Transportation had given them the permits to put signs notifying trucks about the crossing, which will be posted on Third Avenue, Highway 29, State Route 18, and Tenth Street.

Moon said the signs will be ready before CSX finishes work at Ninth Street. Once the railwork is done the crossing will be reopened.