Several Wilmington roads closed for railroad repairs

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — If you’ve been caught up in a traffic jam or two in Wilmington over the past two days and forced to take a detour, we now know the reason. But why didn’t we know sooner?

CSX Railroad scheduled road closures at multiple crossings across the Cape Fear over the next few days. The City of Wilmington says they had little notice of these closings but CSX says they went through the proper channels.

A CSX spokeswoman told us they informed the media via email about the closures, but we did not. The spokeswoman said she sent the information to WNCN, WTVD, which are Raleigh/Durham TV stations, and WILM.

The spokeswoman says they submitted all necessary paperwork in order to get permits for the work, detailing where and when roads would be closed, and proposed detours.

Wilmington City and New Hanover County email records show they received that information on January 9.

But county spokeswoman Jessica Loeper says the information was sent to a former 911 employee, and was not forwarded to the proper people until late last week or early this week.

City spokeswoman Malissa Talbert says it is not the city’s responsibility to inform the public, releasing this statement Wednesday:

“Generally, notices to the public of work that significantly impacts traffic/roads within the city are generally handled by the agency doing the work (i.e., NCDOT, CFPUA, etc.) and the city will augment that by sharing information through our communication channels. This situation was exacerbated by city offices being closed on Monday, but CSX was working on the improvements that day. The city shares information from other agencies that significantly impact local roads and we will continue to do so to the extent possible.”

CSX also released a statement Wednesday, saying:

“As part of a network-wide infrastructure maintenance program, CSX is performing maintenance on crossings in Wilmington, NC. The following crossings are being paved and will reopen today:

Mercer Avenue

Covil Avenue

Wrightsville Avenue

17^th Street

30^th Street

Princess Place Drive

Clay Street

Henry Street

CSX experienced unexpected work delays due to asphalt plant closures that have been addressed. The maintenance team is moving along the rail line, repaving each crossing as they go. This process could take three to five days barring severe weather, equipment delays or any other unexpected disruptions. This work has been scheduled in close coordination with local roadway authorities in order to temporarily close roads as crews replace railroad infrastructure to provide a safe, smooth surface for drivers. CSX appreciates the community’s patience while we complete this work, which is critical to ensuring the safety of motorists using these crossings and a safe, reliable freight rail network.”

A school official told WWAY the closures have impacted bus routes leading to students being late at Snipes Academy and Freeman Elementary School.

The schedule below is what Wilmington Police Department said they received about the closings. There are no exact dates nor times when the closures will occur at each location.

Closures on/around Monday
King St. (near Railroad St.)
23rd St. (near Shirley Rd.)

Closures on/around Tuesday
Princess Place Dr. (near Evans St.)
Clay St. (near Princess Place Dr.)
Henry St. (near Princess Place Dr.)
Westeg Rd. (near Market St.)

Closures on/around Wednesday
Covil Ave. (near Randall Pkwy.)
Mercer Ave. (near Randall Pkwy.)
Forest Hills Dr. (near Colonial Dr.)
Wrightsville Ave. (near Dawson St.)
River to Sea Bikeway (near Dawson St.)

Closures on/around Thursday
17th St. (near Marsteller St.)
Marsteller St. (S. 13th St.)
13th St. (near Marsteller St.)
12th St. (between Marsteller St. & Kidder St.)
10th St. (near Kidder St.) Closing on/around
9th St. (between Marsteller St. & Martin St.)
8th St. (between Martin St. & Kidder St.)
7th St. (between Martin St. & Kidder St.)
6th St./Martin St. (near Stroud Alley)
5th St. (near Martin St.)
Martin St. (between S. 5th St. & Hooper St.)
4th St. (between Martin St. & Kidder St.)