The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is proposing to increase safety at the railroad crossing of the North Carolina Railroad/Norfolk Southern Railway line at Hilltop Road in Greensboro by building a bridge over the tracks for use by drivers, bikers and pedestrians.
According to NCDOT officials, the goal of the project will be “to reduce the potential for roadway vehicle/train collisions at the crossing.”
Improving safety at that danger point has been discussed for well over a decade and, though some enhancements have been made over the years, the increased amount of vehicle traffic on Hilltop Road is one factor driving this proposed major change that’s causing NCDOT officials to seek input from the public.
Proponents of building the road bridge over Hilltop argue that, in addition to increased safety, the bridge would increase the efficiency of train travel between Raleigh and Charlotte, between Washington DC and Atlanta, and for trains on other routes that use the corridor.
The NCDOT is holding a public meeting to discuss changes on Thursday, Feb. 1. People are invited to drop by anytime from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gate City Baptist Church at 5250 Hilltop Road in Greensboro.
This won’t be a formal presentation but instead a chance for those interested to have one-on-one discussions with project engineers.
Project details, including maps, can be found on the NCDOT project web page at the following address: https://publicinput.com/Hilltop-Road-Rail-Crossing
People may also submit comments until Friday, Feb. 23, by phone at 984-205-6615 (use project code 4649), or by email at Hilltop-Road-Rail-Crossing@publicinput.com.
Snail mail can be sent to the following address:
Greg Blakey
NCDOT Rail Division –
Senior Rail Project Development Engineer
1 S. Wilmington St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Scott, they don’t want any input from citizens. The same when this city council ask for citizen input. The decision has already been made. Just get the taxes to pay for it.