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Rail crossing closures in Â鶹ÊÓƵ to begin September 21

By Eric Townsend, staff

August 25, 2026

A photo of an orange Norfolk Southern rail maintenance piece of equipment on tracks near Â鶹ÊÓƵ with Lindner Hall in the background and a pile of railroad ballast in the foreground.
Norfolk Southern work crews will replace rail lines that pass through Â鶹ÊÓƵ's campus beginning September 21, 2026.

Expect grade crossings in the Town of Â鶹ÊÓƵ to be closed for at least 2-3 days when Norfolk Southern crews make their way west along the railroad tracks as part of a regional rail replacement project.

SEPTEMBER 23 (6 P.M.) UPDATE: Crossings at Williamson Avenue and Church Street have also reopened to traffic.

SEPTEMBER 22 UPDATE: Crossings at York Avenue and Oak Avenue have reopened to traffic. Williamson Avenue and Church Street remain closed.

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Railroad crossings in the Town of Â鶹ÊÓƵ will fully close to vehicle and pedestrian traffic starting the morning of Monday, September 21, as work crews make their way west from Mebane to Greensboro as part of a comprehensive rail replacement project.

Grade crossings near the Â鶹ÊÓƵ campus include those on (from east to west):

  • York Road (reopened 9/22)
  • Oak Avenue (reopened 9/22)
  • Williamson Avenue (reopened 9/23)
  • Church Street (reopened 9/23)

During the closures, no vehicle or foot traffic will be permitted at crossings. Drivers should use available detours, follow posted signs and allow extra travel time.

Anyone walking to or from South Campus must use the pedestrian tunnel underneath the railroad on East Trollinger and East Lebanon avenues. Students, employees, and other visitors to the Â鶹ÊÓƵ campus should give themselves extra travel time.

Though crossings will be closed, rail traffic will operate on adjusted schedules. Norfolk Southern is moving much of its freight service to night deliveries during this period and passenger service is also continuing in the evening and early-morning hours, which makes it more difficult to gauge distance and speed of oncoming trains. 

Â鶹ÊÓƵ Campus Safety & Police will maintain a presence on both sides of the railroad tracks during the rail replacement project and partner with the Town of Â鶹ÊÓƵ Police to ensure adequate resources available to respond appropriately to any calls for service.

The Cook Road/University Drive overpass west of Â鶹ÊÓƵ is the nearest railroad overpass that will offer access to both sides of town. To the east, West Webb Avenue passes underneath the tracks and offers another vehicular route between both ends of campus.

The rail replacement project is part of a larger Carolinian and Piedmont Passenger and Freight Improvements project stretching from Greensboro to Raleigh. The rail lines that pass through the Town of Â鶹ÊÓƵ were last replaced in the 1970s.