North Carolina DOT closes road to start grade separation

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) yesterday temporarily closed Klumac Road at a North Carolina Railroad Co. grade crossing near Main Street in Salisbury.

The closure will remain in place until a $7.6 million Piedmont Improvement Program grade separation project is completed in October 2016. The project calls for building a rail bridge over Klumac Road and an underpass at the crossing, and realigning 0.6 miles of the road.

NCDOT data shows that about 4,300 vehicles and 40 trains use the Klumac Road crossing each day. Separating vehicle and train traffic will greatly reduce the potential for accidents and help traffic flow more efficiently through the area, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

To be completed in September 2017, the Piedmont Improvement Program involves a series of rail projects designed to improve safety and mobility along a corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte. The projects primarily are federally funded via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.