Emory Valley Road will temporarily be closed between Briarcliff Avenue and Fairbanks Road as railroad tracks that are no longer used are removed.
Emory Valley Road will temporarily be closed between Briarcliff Avenue and Fairbanks Road as railroad tracks that are no longer used are removed on Thursday.
Rogers Group Inc., a city contractor, is removing the railroad tracks that cross Emory Valley Road and Briarcliff Avenue on Thursday. The project should be completed on Friday, a city press release said.
The road closure is designed to help make the construction project safe for workers and motorists, and it will will require that traffic be detoured. The detour routes will be clearly marked, the press release said. The closures will affect only one direction of traffic at a time. Message boards will be located on Lafayette Drive to remind motorists of the closure so an alternate route can be taken. All residential and business properties will have access during this closure; however, streets will be posted for no through traffic.
Drivers are asked to avoid the area, and they should expect delays as the detoured traffic will increase the normal traffic volume on the streets used for the detour, the press release said.
“Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes of travel and to allow sufficient time to reach your destination,” the release said. “The ity appreciates the public’s patience with this new traffic control measure.”
Bad weather could cause the scheduled work to be extended or delayed.
Contact the Oak Ridge Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875 for more information.
Jeff Ryman says
From all the new stories on this, it appears the cost is being borne by the city of Oak Ridge. Sinice this is an abandoned CSX spur, does CSX not have any financial responsibility for this?
johnhuotari says
I don’t have cost information yet. I think this work is being overseen by the Oak Ridge Public Works Department, and I hope to talk to Director Gary Cinder to get more info. I talked to Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin today to get an update on the “rails to trails” proposal that envisions using this right-of-way as a path that could eventually be used by walkers, runners, and bicyclists between Melton Lake Drive and the Y-12 National Security Complex. I hope to do a story soon on that.
johnhuotari says
Jeff,
I talked to Gary Cinder today, and he said CSX and the city are splitting the traffic control costs, CSX is covering the costs of removing the tracks, and the city has agreed to repave the roads as part of street maintenance. Cinder said the final cost for all the work isn’t clear yet, but it shouldn’t be significant.
Jeff Ryman says
Thanks for looking into the cost split. I’m glad to see that the expense is being reasonably apportioned.
Joshua Hamilton says
they should tell the scrapheads they can have have the metal, all the tracks in oak ridge would be gone in a week 🙂