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In November
1992, The federal government declared the rail corridor through Salisbury as one of five
national corridors for high-speed passenger rail service. The North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT) immediately began plans to improve the corridor. Their primary goal
was to provide two-hour passenger service between Charlotte and Raleigh to reduce
congestion on I-85 and I-40. At the time, there were 17 grade
crossings within a 3-½ mile stretch through Salisbury. This was the highest
concentration of grade crossings on the busiest freight train route in the
state. Two crossings in Salisbury were already rated as the 3rd and 4th most
likely in the state for accidents to occur, and a third crossing actually
had a worse record. Approximately half of all traffic fatalities in
Salisbury were occurring at grade crossings. More than half of those
fatalities occurred where automatic cross-arms already existed. Finally, the
electronic circuitry that controlled the cross-arms had reached its
capacity, so it would have cost half a million dollars just to install one
more set of cross-arms. |
Railroad Corridor Improvements |
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Railroad Crossing Barrier on Monroe Street |
In April 1994,
the City of Salisbury conducted the first Rail Corridor Safety Study in the state. The
goal of the study was to prepare a long-range plan to consolidate rail crossings while
improving local transportation. The study identified two bridges and one road extension as
major long-term improvements, as well as several, smaller short-term improvements. The
Board of Transportation was so impressed with the study that they provided nearly $1.4
million dollars for immediate corridor improvements. The City of Salisbury contributed
about $300,000, and Norfolk Southern Railroad contributed $140,000. |
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Closed Railroad Crossing on Vance Street
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To date, the
Rail Corridor Safety Program has extended Boundary Street to Jake Alexander Boulevard,
realigned Military Avenue to increase use of the existing underpass, extended Lumber
Street to Boundary Street, closed eight grade crossings, and begun feasibility studies for
two bridges. Video surveillance cameras have been installed at one crossing. Median
barriers have been installed at two crossings. Salisbury has also been identified as the
most likely hub for passenger rail service to Asheville. The program has received very positive support from Salisbury citizens
and the news media. NCDOT presents "the Salisbury way of doing things" as
a statewide example of the benefits of rail crossing consolidation. |
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