Osgood Avenue/County Road 14 will be closed at 7 a.m. Wednesday as Union Pacific crews modify a railroad crossing just south of 47th Street in Baytown Township.
The road is expected to reopen Thursday morning. The posted detour will follow 10th Street North.
Joe Gustafson, a traffic engineer with Washington County, said modifications to the rail line in August had made the crossing’s already severe bump even worse and traffic had to slow to less than 10 mph.
“There were reports of cars losing contact with the ground,” he said. “Even at very low speeds, vehicles with low-ground clearance, such as trailers, were at risk of striking the roadway surface.”
To control traffic speed, he said, the county installed temporary stop signs at the crossing.
Gustafson said the county will reassess the crossing conditions after the work is done.
“We don’t expect this to be a cure-all solution, but we do expect it to make it more drivable and maintainable this winter,” said Gustafson.
He said the county will continue to work with Union Pacific in search of a long-term solution.
“Based on what the railroad has told us, I think it’s unlikely that the stop signs could be removed this fall,” Gustafson said.
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.
