Hanover Road Closure Inconveniences Residents

Hanover Road has been closed at the railroad crossing since mid-September, to the ire of residents on both sides of the tracks.

Those on the Hanover Road side said with Coca Cola Drive inaccessible, they have had to use Loudon Avenue to access points west.

“Loudon Avenue is a mess,” said Gail Sigel, who lives near Hanover Road.

Lane closures and flagging operations are ever present on Loudon Avenue, where a water main replacement project has been ongoing for the past year.

Those on the side east of the tracks haven’t been enthusiastic about the Hanover Road closure either.

“For me, it's been bad,” said Drew Roth, who lives on Race Road. “There's been way more traffic.”

Race Road has a tendency to flood, he added, which has proven problematic during the past two weeks when the area has experienced downpours.

"It's an inconvenience," said Roth of the Hanover Road closure.

"The only thing we know is that it looks like maintenance," said Sigel.

Railroad owner CSX confirmed that routine maintenance caused the closure.

“The work occurring at the Hanover Road crossing involves the replacement of the crossing surface there,” said Bob Sullivan, spokesman for CSX. “It is the type of project that occurs across the CSX system on a regular basis.”

The closure was originally supposed to end Sept. 20, but was extended for additional work. Explained Sullivan, “The paved surface at the crossing is going to be done one more time.”

Signage at the Hanover Road railroad crossing says that the work will be complete Sept. 27.