METAIRIE (WGNO)— Several railroad crossings in Jefferson Parish are closed this week for railway repairs.
WGNO’s Kenny Lopez got an inside look at the railway repair process.
Norfolk Southern’s been working on the railroad in Metairie. It is the first time this 2-mile stretch of railway has been repaired since 1973.
“The rails were worn out, we’ve been replacing them with brand new rail. It is a major project, it is making railways safer and more efficient,” JD Julian with Norfolk Southern said.
Julian said, “We are doing it quickly to get crossings back open and that way we can get train traffic flowing like normal.”
They are working double-track, so instead of shutting down completely, they leave one side open and that way they can run train traffic on one side.
Basically this is an assembly line with 21 machines, more than 30 workers, and they are all replacing more than 28,000 feet of rail.
By the end of the week, everything will be back on track!
The construction continues until Thursday, and the roads should re-open on Friday. The four roads that are closed are Hollywood Drive, Atherton Drive, Farnham Place, and West Oakridge Park.
The repairs are all fully funded by Norfolk Southern, so no tax dollars are involved in this project.