Large gaps between the rails and the road on Hwy. 115 at the FXI Foam Plant plant spell trouble for motorists and bike riders.
April 15. By Dave Vieser. A troublesome freight line crossing on Highway 115 in Cornelius will be repaired in the near future, according to NCDOT. The line, which brings rail cars in and out of the FXI Foam Plant, has been causing problems for both motorists and bicyclists due to large spaces between the rail and the highway’s asphalt.
The agreement to repair the crossing came just hours after officials from the DOT and Norfolk Southern were contacted by Cornelius Today.
“The railroad will be handling all the repairs, with NCDOT assisting with traffic control as needed” said DOT spokeswoman Jordan-Ashley Baker. “We expect that the railroad will be contacting our local maintenance staff soon to discuss a schedule for the work moving forward. We’ll alert the public of any road closures related to the work, once we are made aware of the schedule.”
That’s good news for those who travel regularly through that area on NC 115. “The deterioration of the road is awful but most drivers do not realize the damage the vehicles are receiving because they drive too fast passing through the site” said Nelson Acosta Sr. of Cornelius. He and several other motorists posted recent messages on facebook stating that their cars’ alignments were thrown out by the poor condition of the crossing.
The crossing has also proven to be problematic for bike riders. “My husband is an avid bicyclist “said Amy Hallman of Huntersville, “and I can tell you that it’s also really dangerous for the bicyclists.”
The FXI spur runs off of Norfolk Southern’s single track freight line which operates from Charlotte up to Mooresville. It has several regular freight customers, and usually has one train per day that runs from Charlotte up to Cornelius. There are currently no regularly scheduled trains between Cornelius and Moorseville according to Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman. Trains travel slowly (10 mph maximum speed), and crossings are protected by gates and crews.
The line was also once eyed as the right-of-way for a future commuter rail service but negotiations have stalled since the railroad has, thus far, opposed the idea.
