A few hundred people living in Oak Ridge in Blackshear will have their only access point shut down Monday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — A Blackshear neighborhood with a few hundred homes will spend Monday cut-off from the rest of the world.
CSX is closing the train tracks crossing at Oak Ridge Circle for maintenance work, and it’s the only access point for the neighborhood.
One neighbor said she is used to living at the discretion of what’s going on with the tracks.
“You’re either stuck out, or you’re stuck in,” said Sholanda Moore while returning to her home in Oak Ridge.
Moore is one of a few hundred people in Oak Ridge who have a decision to make Monday: Should they stay or should they go?
CSX is doing maintenance on the railroad tracks at the only entrance to the neighborhood, shutting it down from 10 in the morning until 10 at night.
“Now they’re discussing shutting down the train tracks for an entire day. We’re at work, so what are we supposed to do? If I don’t work, how will I pay my bills?” said Moore.
A CSX spokesperson says crews will spend the day replacing the crossties and repaving the asphalt.
She pointed out the tracks see 10 to 20 trains per day and require maintenance like this for the safety of both the trains and drivers.
When asked why this closure was planned for midday, the spokesperson explained it involves coordination with Pierce County, the availability of work crews, and aligning with union regulations.
“We couldn’t care less about appearances here,” Moore mentioned. “We don’t even look at it. We just drive right across. What matters is that the train keeps moving and stays out of our way.”
Moore says she is routinely delayed at the tracks, often without this much advanced notice.
“When it stops, it stops for at least two-three hours,” said Moore. “One night, a couple of weeks ago, it stopped at around seven and didn’t move until 11.”
The Pierce County manager says the situation has brought attention to the need for another access point for Oak Ridge.
The county has planned a project already and opened it for bids to add another crossing at Timber Lane about a mile up the road.
Of course, that’s not going to help Moore come Monday.
“I guess we’ll all be sitting out here waiting to go home at 10 o’clock at night,” said Moore.
A spokesperson for the county mentioned they do have an emergency access road available to cross the tracks, and they’ll have a firetruck at the neighborhood Monday just in case something happens on the other side while CSX is working.
CSX’s full statement on the planned closure:
As part of the company’s network wide infrastructure maintenance program, CSX will complete repairs and improvements to the Oak Ridge Circle grade crossing in Blackshear, Georgia on Monday, July 14. The crossing will be closed to vehicular traffic starting at 10 a.m. ET and is scheduled to reopen the same day.
Maintenance like this is critical to the safety of both train operations and roadway traffic, and to meeting the dynamic freight transportation needs of businesses across the region.
The work has been scheduled in close coordination with Pierce County in order to temporarily close the road so that crews can replace the crossties and repave the asphalt approaches to ensure a safe, smooth surface for drivers.
CSX understands that the temporary closure will be inconvenient for residents but appreciates the public’s patience as we complete this work, which is vital to ensuring the safety of motorists and a safe, reliable rail network.
Members of the community can contact the CSX Public Safety Coordination Center at (800) 232-0144 to report any concerns during construction.
