Gossett Drive now open for traffic
Major repair work on the J.P. Gossett Drive railway overpass has been completed and Gossett Drive is now open. (Pictured – New signage is placed on the repaired railway bridge)
Greenville & Western Railway Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation, has been performing major repairs to the railway bridge in Williamston, which was built in 1912.
Steven Hawkins said the structural damage to the steel bridge has been corrected with all new steel and sacrificial beams have been added for additional protection from vehicle hitting the bridge. The work has been engineer certified.
Clearance on the bridge remains 9.0 feet. Though marked with signage and flashing lights, the bridge continues to be hit on an ongoing basis.
Hawkins said G&W has documented 27 incidents of striking the bridge since 2003, and that doesn’t include others who may have hit it and not reported the incident.
Due to damages through the years, the railway bridge was previously rated for 10 mph. The improvements will allow increase the maximum rating to 25 mph. Hawkins said trains will be travelling at 20 mph through Williamston. Motorists are advised to use extra caution when crossing railroad tracks in Williamston, especially at Prince Street.
Greenville & Western Railway thanks the public for their patience and understanding during this extended
road closure. Additional updates (if any) will be provided as they become available.
For continuing updates on the further growth and development of Greenville & Western Railway Company,
LLC, pay a routine visit to: http://www.wcrscorp.com/railroads.html
