electrician in Wingate, NC

WINGATE, N.C. — There’s a new plan to prevent train crashes at certain railroad crossings in a Union County community.

For years, tractor-trailers have gotten stuck on the tracks at the North Main Street crossing.

“It’s been a regular occurrence here,” said resident Kevin Stewart.

PREVIOUS: VIDEO: Train slams into tractor-trailer at railroad crossing in Wingate

Stewart sent video to Channel 9 showing a truck stuck on the North Main crossing just last week, and there were two more train collisions in January -- both happened the same week at the same crossing.

Wingate Mayor Garry Hamill said the crashes happen because the grade on the track is too high for certain trucks to come through, and it causes the trucks to get stuck.

Many in the Wingate community have become more and more concerned over the years as Channel 9 has reported on the issue, but there are new proposals on the table that aim to put a stop to this.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation proposed changes to both the North Main Street and Bivens Street crossings at a town meeting in March. NCDOT suggested lowering the grade of the of the railroad crossing and adding sidewalks.

ALSO READ: Community holds vigil for Wingate University student-athlete fatally struck by train

The fix would cost $1.1 million and the town can tap into federal funds for it.

In return, NCDOT wants to shut down the North Stewart Street crossing.

Town commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday night to shut down the Stewart Street crossing so the North Main side can be fixed.

It is a 12-to-18-month project and some residents told leaders they are worried about the closure.

North Main Street will have to be raised on both sides of the tacks and new rail signal equipment will be installed.

The mayor of Wingate said the closure will take getting used to but it will be worth it.

“I think, at the end of the day, everybody will understand the decision we made,” Hammil said. “NCDOT says there will be a 3-mile detour for trucks but the mayor tells me word has already spread to truck drivers about this issue and less are choosing this route as a result.

(WATCH BELOW: VIDEO: Train slams into tractor-trailer at railroad crossing in Wingate)

Summer is over, at least at Wingate University. Nervous excitement permeated campus this week as residence halls filled up with students, many settling in for their first semester at college. Classes began on Aug. 17.

The projected numbers show about 900 first-time students, including a record number of transfer students (around 120). Official enrollment figures are expected next month.

The number of students transferring to Wingate University has risen sharply in the past few years, with this fall’s total doubling the number who transferred in for the fall 2020 semester.

The increase is due in part to the Gateway Scholarship program, which enables students who have earned an associate degree from one of six community colleges in North Carolina (South Piedmont, Central Piedmont, Stanly, Richmond, Blue Ridge and Rowan-Cabarrus) to attend Wingate for no more than $2,500 a year in tuition.

Cory Pierre, a freshman from Long Island, N.Y., drove down Aug. 13 with his parents. After visiting a number of schools in the South in hopes of competing in track and field, Pierre, a sprinter, chose Wingate.

“I really liked the area,” Pierre said. “I liked the town of Wingate, and also the school’s diversity.”

Wingate is welcoming its most diverse population of first-time undergraduate students ever, with the final total expected to be majority-minority for the first time. In addition, 41% are eligible for Pell Grants.

First-year enrollment is expected to be roughly identical to last year, after a couple of down years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Geographically, about half of first-time students are from North Carolina. Kayman Forte, a freshman track athlete from Charlotte, said that Wingate was one of his top three schools and that it felt like the right choice for him.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the athletic program is like,” said Forte, a long jumper who plans to major in exercise science.

All told, Wingate will be home to 265 international students this academic year. That represents an increase of 50 students from last year.

Returning students, who moved in a day after freshmen, may have noticed a few refurbishments that took place over the summer. In the Burris building, several offices and the lobby have received a makeover. The baseball field and fieldhouse are in the process of being renovated, and several buildings (the Batte Center, Hayes, South Village, Hendricks, McIntyre, Lowery, PawPost, and the fieldhouse and press box at Irwin Belk Stadium) have new roofs.

The area needs to be flattened out so trucks can safely pass over but it will take years before construction work gets underway.

WINGATE, N.C. — The State Department of Transportation continues to survey railroad crossing sites in the town of Wingate, where there have been several incidents of trucks getting stuck on the tracks.

The track is at a pretty steep part of the road, and that is where trucks are getting lodged. The area needs to be flattened out so trucks can safely pass over but it will take years before construction work gets underway.

The trucks getting stuck on the railroad crossings are a concern for people who live and work in the area.

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“You can see trucks struck there and trains hitting them and it flies all over," Paula Hunter, a local resident, said. "It’s a lot of them."

Police shared one incident via Facebook on July 22. The town posted this image of a truck hit by a train on June 8.

Jay Moncrief is the owner of a custom tattoo shop just a few feet away from the tracks. It's incidents like these that have him on edge.

“I’m afraid that one day something is going to happen, they are going to derail, and something is going to come flying through my building,” Moncrief said.

NCDOT said warning signs like the “low ground clearance” and others that say “no trucks” have been added across train tracks to prevent truckers from crossing.

“We've also put-up signage to show a safe detour route for those trucks if they're coming off the Monroe bypass and come into places that are along businesses on the 74,” said Jahmal Pullen, Rail Division, Engineering Coordination and Safety Manager for NCDOT.

The department is also working towards making construction improvements to the roadways. The goal is to smooth out the roadway near the crossings so trucks can safely travel over the tracks.

“The stages that we're in now is getting the survey, getting the agreements in place, and then developing the plan,” Pullen said.

Some residents feel the signage is not doing enough.

“The truck traffic still comes down this street,” Hunter said.

Moreover, construction is not anticipated to start for two more years -- in August 2025 at the earliest.

“I don’t want to see a Band-Aid put on it,” Hunter said. “I think it needs to be fixed right. Trucks are being torn apart.”

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“I don’t know why it can't be done sooner... it is pretty important,” Moncrief said. “Trucks are getting hit and people are going to die soon.”

Meanwhile, NCDOT launched its BeRailSafe initiative to educate folks about railroad safety. It includes reminders like to never stop your car on the tracks. If a vehicle is stopped on the track there is a blue sign on the crossing gate which has a phone number to call for emergencies.

The goal of the program is to spread awareness of the dangers of trespassing on railroad tracks. Pullen said railroad crossing safety is important to NCDOT.

“We work closely with law enforcement, emergency response, fire departments, to help them understand how to be able to respond to a rail emergency,” Pullen said.

The statewide initiative is bringing training programs to public schools to educate and promote rail safety. This includes following the rules of the rail crossing signs.

“The only place we want people to cross the tracks is at a railroad crossing,” Pullen said. “Not in any other location. It's a very dangerous corridor to be in.”

Pullen added to keep in mind railroad tracks are private property. Trespassers can be arrested or fined. NCDOT hopes the program will increase general railroad awareness and curb risky behavior.

“Almost every incident we see, whether that's a fatality, or an injury, when it comes to the railroad, right away is preventable. But we need people to be aware,” he said.

NCDOT said it is important for parents to educate their kids to not walk, play or be on railroad tracks for any reason. It is not only illegal but it is also dangerous.

BeRailSafe reminds people to follow these safety tips:

WINGATE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – The town of Wingate will have to wait upwards of two years before specific construction to fix the three elevated railroad crossing points begins.

The crossing at Belvin, Stuart, and Main Street at the three focal points, with most of the work expected to be done on the Stuart and Main Street locations, which have caused the most hang-ups.

NCDOT predicts construction to even out the roads will begin around August of 2025, but Wingate townspeople will begin to see some work begin sooner.

“It wouldn’t look like nothing would be happening until August 2025. You will see some poles being moved,” explained NCDOT Engineer Jahmel Rullen.

Since the train collision with a stuck truck in June, NCDOT has added warning signs which prohibit 18-wheelers from crossing the elevated tracks.

However, Thursday afternoon, Queen City News crews spotted at least one 18-wheeler pass over the Main Street crossing twice.

The current timeline from NCDOT includes major research and planning from a variety of departments.

Currently, NCDOT crews are in the surveying phase.

They have been investigating what sits above ground around the elevated sites and what sits below them.

This also includes discussions with utility companies who may need to move certain equipment, such as powerline poles or underground wires.

Rullen explained this is one of the most crucial phases. “The last thing we want to do is to not know and then hit something. . . [This] gives us an understanding of everything that’s out there.”

This phase is expected to be completed by the end of September.

This will move NCDOT into its Right of Way Planning and Environmental Documentation.

The ROW Planning will consist of work between NCDOT and utility companies to plan which equipment could be moved, where it will go, and who owns the property to which it will need to be moved.

While there is concern from those in the community of major impacts to their own property lines, Rullen predicts that any movements will be minimal.

He said, “We’ve got to let the utilities know, ‘Hey, this curb is going to move back a foot. How is that going to affect you?’ ‘Well, we’re going to need to be our guidewires back four feet to hold those poles in’ . . . I wouldn’t suspect with this project that we will be needing ten feet of someone’s front yard.”

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This is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with utility companies spending much of 2024 moving the necessary equipment.

All of these phases will be impacted by each other, as NCDOT looks to not only even out the spots over the crossing but also to replace the crossing guard arms to match the new height.

NCDOT does not predict any delays due to construction materials, with that planning and acquirement happening during the planning phases.

The predicted timeline is to begin construction to smooth out the crossing by August 2025.

Though discussions are ongoing between CXS, NCDOT has discussed ways to avoid disrupting the railroad companies that pass through Wingate multiple times a day.

An exact date for completing the construction is too far out to predict.

The town of Wingate, NCDOT, and CXS have drafted an agreement regarding the project.

When asked for a copy of it, NCDOT responded with:

“The agreement between NCDOT and the Town of Wingate and the freight railroad CSX is in draft form and will not be executed until after NCDOT’s August BOT meeting occurring during the week of Aug. 7.

“If approved, it would be sent out for execution, meaning it would go to the Town of Wingate and CSX to sign off on. After those steps, we would be able to provide you with a copy.”

Twice now in the past week, a train has collided with a truck stuck on the tracks.

WINGATE, N.C. (WBTV) - WBTV is on your side, digging deeper into why so many trucks are getting stuck on railroad tracks in Union County.

Twice in the past week trains have plowed into trucks, both of which were caught on camera.

The trouble spot is on Main Street in the town of Wingate.

The town manager of said that particular railroad crossing has been an issue for years now, but back-to-back crashes have heightened the need for changes.

“I heard two big booms last night,” Wingate resident Gayle Smith said. “I hope somebody can figure it out and come to some conclusion to fix apparently what the problem is.”

Trucks getting stuck on the tracks has become a common occurrence in the area. People in Wingate blame the bypass for contributing large trucks driving down Main Street.

“It’s almost surreal,” Brad Sellers, Wingate Town Manager, said. “It seems that’s what’s driving the trucks through town, they get on the bypass in Marshville and the first place they can get off, if they don’t want to be on the bypass, is in Wingate.”

WBTV searched the through Federal Rail Administration site data and found no history of train accidents at this site within the past five years.

Sellers said more than 20 trucks have gotten stuck on the specific section of track over the past three years.

Local leaders and residents fear the next train versus truck crash could involve one carrying hazardous chemicals, which could turn into devastation for the town.

“Obviously, we’ve been able to stop the trains, most of them have happened during the day,” Sellers said.

It was too late to stop the train last week and Wednesday night.

So what’s causing trucks to get stuck?

“These two specific incidents is the landing gear on the trailers themselves, there was not enough clearance and [they] got hung on the rail,” Sellers said.

From the naked eye, you can see the rails are higher than the road which makes it challenging for large trucks to cross. Warning signs line the road leading up to the rail crossing where both incidents happened.

The town points to CSX and the state department of transportation which owns the roadway.

“We’re fighting two large bureaucracies with CSX and with the NCDOT and we just need help,” Sellers said.

“I’m sure everybody in Wingate would like for it to be fixed, whatever fixed mean, and you know, whoever fix it or gets it fixed, good for them,” Smith said.

Following the incidents, the NCDOT issued the statement below:

“NCDOT reviewed this location in coordination with the Town of Wingate in the past . It was determined the road on either side of the tracks would need to be raised and the rail signal equipment on site would need to be replaced, too. This project estimate was $1.1 million a few years ago, so it’s likely that cost has increased. At this time, a funding source has not been identified.

In the interim, the department has worked to help redirect truck drivers around the crossing through their navigation systems. We will continue to explore other options with the town as investigations into the recent crashes continue.”

CSX also released a statement of its own:

“At CSX, safety is our highest priority. CSX works relentlessly to prevent railroad related injuries and accidents through education, enforcement, engineering and advocacy at all levels. Our goal is zero accidents, so one crossing collision is too many. We want everyone to return home to their families safely, whether they work for us or live in the communities we serve. CSX oversees the maintenance of railroad crossings on our network, however, state and/or local road authorities, not CSX, maintain roadway approaches and determine the type of crossing that is appropriate at each public crossing location. CSX has always and will continue to maintain open lines of communication and work with local and state officials to identify crossings that are ideal candidates for safety improvements, consolidation and most importantly, closure. Closing at-grade crossings will improve public safety by eliminating the risk of crossing collisions, however, the authority to close or improve safety at crossings on public roads rests with the state and local municipalities, not the railroads.

CSX supports the consolidation of crossings on our network by offering incentives, such as a match of available federal funding. We are committed to reducing the number of at-grade crossings on our network, because in our view the safest railroad crossing is one that doesn’t exist. We urge all drivers to pay attention and adhere to the posted low ground clearance warning signs, ensuring that vehicles can safely and sufficiently clear the highway profile conditions.”

Related: Train and tractor-trailer collide in Wingate for second time in a week

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