Slow work at crossing irks drivers

GRANITEVILLE --- Dropping her children off at school isn't as simple as it used to be for Lisa Knotts.

• Photos

Jim Blaylock/Staff

Work continues on the new bridge over the railroad tracks in Graniteville, where five people died when their vehicle collided with a train four years ago. Drivers take a detour.

One daughter is at Byrd Elementary School. The other is at Leavelle McCampbell Middle School.

If the railroad crossing at Ascauga Lake Road and Canal Street were open, her drive would be much simpler.

For months, she and other drivers in Graniteville have been detoured from that intersection, and residents are wondering what's taking so long.

When they started the work last December, state officials told residents that redoing the crossing where five people were killed four years ago would take only three weeks. It has been more than three months.

"I wish they'd get a move on," Ms. Knotts said.

Even the state representative who pushed for the crossing upgrade is concerned about how long the construction has gone on.

Rep. Roland Smith, R-Warrenville, said after fielding calls from residents that state engineers told him they "ran into major problems in that area," but "they've assured me it will be done by the end of the month. It's as frustrating to me as it is to you."

Mr. Smith said it took months of discussions and planning to get the crossing work approved. Five people died in 2004 after an oncoming train slammed into their vehicle at the crossing.

Since then, several crossing arms have been added at other crossings in town.

The state put up $950,000 for the work, which required Canal Street to be realigned and underground utility lines moved. Norfolk Southern contributed $300,000 for the workers moving the railroad tracks and installing the crossing arms.

The state and Norfolk Southern are working on the crossing together, Mr. Smith said.

Phil Napier, who owns a store down the street from the crossing and is the chief of the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville Volunteer Fire Department, said he has complained to Mr. Smith about the closure.

"It's inexcusable," he said. "In the beginning they said it would take three weeks, and that was before Christmas. There's been weeks and weeks where no work has been done at all."

If the work was in Aiken or North Augusta, he said, "it'd be done by now."

Gene Wilson, a Graniteville resident, said the closure is a major traffic problem.

"I don't think they should have fooled with it in the first place," he said.

Mr. Wilson said he doesn't think there was anything wrong with the railroad crossing.

"There are going to be accidents with this one, too, because human nature doesn't change," he said.

Reach Sandi Martin at (803) 648-1395, ext. 111, or sandi.martin@augustachronicle.com.