Repairs to railway crossing have drivers seeking alternate routes

PEOPLE LOOKING TO MAKE THEIR

way north of St. Jacobs, to Elmira or points beyond, were scrambling for alternative routes this week with the closure of Arthur Street at the railway crossing.

That main northsouth corridor was out of service to allow for repairs to the road surface at the crossing itself.

After years of disrepair, the region opted to close Arthur Street between Listowel Road and Sawmill Road for work being done by CN Rail. Repairs are expected to be done by Friday.

The work includes removal of the existing crossing, installation of a new crossing with concrete panels, and additional road work adjacent to the crossing.

Arthur Street can be accessed from the north down to the railway crossing, and from the south up to the railway crossing, but not through, the region stated in a release

Although Arthur Street sees heavy traffic as a main road between Woolwich and Waterloo, the technical nature of the work required full closure of the crossing, said Darryl Spencer, manager of transportation engineering with the region.

“Part of the work involves the replacement of the railroad with a one-piece engineered section of track, and for that reason, the full crossing needs to be closed. There is also fairly extensive pavement work at and adjacent to the crossing that is required,” Spencer said.

Commuters will need to find alternative routes such as Church Street, Line 86 to Northfield Drive to Sawmill Road. As staff is aware there will be increased traffic along the alternative routes, they planned ahead to make signal timing changes at critical intersections to better accommodate the extra traffic volumes, Spencer said.

While many drivers choose to use the shoulder of the road while crossing the track that will no longer be required, Spencer noted. The cost to the region is minimal, he added.

“The majority of the costs are covered through the region’s freight maintenance agreement with CN Rail. Outside of this, the region is only paying for the roadway detour costs, which is around $1,500.”

The region is also looking to leverage the opportunity to conduct some roadway asphalt work immediately adjacent to the crossing, Spencer said. While the cost has not yet been confirmed, it is included in the region’s approved transportation capital program.