The Polk County Board of County Commissioners and County Manager’s Officer apologize for late notification of a sweeping round of CSX railroad crossing closures in Auburndale this week, and continuing in the following weeks.
CSX has been closing railroad crossings throughout the Tampa Bay area, many with little or no notice, for upgrades to its tracks. The County adds it, and government agencies throughout the area, has no input regarding closures, due to CSX precedence and considerable authority to close road crossings along their railway lines.
10 locations of closures have been announced, including current closures at Dairy Road (Five-Points area), Bennett Street, and Main Street. Tuesday night, it’s anticipated that the CSX crossings at Tampa Street and Ariana Street will close, with closures scheduled for Wednesday at West Bridgers Avenue and McKean Street. Seven more crossings are scheduled for closures over the next two weeks as the upgrades move westerly to Combee area crossings.
CSX’s contractor has notified Polk County that some crossings in the same vicinity will be closed simultaneously, while others will close in order as work progresses along the rail lines. Work at each crossing is anticipated to take two to four days to complete. While much of the work will be done at night, asphalt resurfacing of roadway approaches will be performed during daylight hours. Access limitations and travel delays are anticipated as through traffic will be detoured to bypass work zones.
Anyone wanting to report a public road rail crossing issue or complaint should call CSX at 1-800-232-0144 or email them at TellCSX@csx.com.
