Roseville

Portion of 12 Mile to close for railroad work

By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer

ROSEVILLE — Drivers who brace themselves for jarring bumps while heading over railroad crossings should be able to relax their grip on the wheel in the city in the near future.

Canadian National Railroad is planning to complete work next week that is scheduled to begin Nov. 3 at the crossing on 12 Mile Road, just west of Groesbeck, which means that that crossing would be closed for a short duration during the week.

“The repair is so that (the crossings) are as smooth as possible for vehicles going over them on a daily basis,” City Manager Steve Truman said. “This is the last of our crossings to be completed over the last three years, (with) Common Road and 13 Mile done previously. It takes about five days to complete the work. 

“The condition of these crossings has been among the largest number of complaints I have received since becoming city manager in 2005,” he said.

According to the railway’s Web site, the company planned to spend more than $300 million this year to improve its infrastructure in the United States in addition to expenditures planned for the rails throughout Canada.

Those changes included replacing some of the older rail and materials.

“Our investments in rail infrastructure will ensure plant quality and safety for our customers and the communities in which we operate, improve rail productivity and position us to take advantage of growth opportunities,” railway representative Gordon Trafton stated in a press release from the company earlier this year.

Safety is something the company continues to work on, according to a news release on the company’s Web site from late last month. The company touted a new piece of equipment that would help it electronically inspect track along all its rails.

“The acquisition of the new vehicle will permit us to increase the amount of in-house main line track-geometry testing across our network,” company representative Paul Miller stated in the release. “We take quality track seriously. Of CN’s $1.5 billion capital budget this year, $1.1 billion is focused on track infrastructure.”

City officials recommended drivers heading east to take Hayes to 13 Mile, then head east until they reach Groesbeck, at which point they can reroute back to 12 Mile. Westbound drivers can turn on Groesbeck north to Utica Road, head northwest on Utica, west on 14 Mile and south on Hayes, which will lead them back to 12 Mile.

The work was slated for completion by the end of this week, according to city information.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1043.