News

Railroad Completes Repairs; Road Reopens in Jamestown

(Released 12/1/2009)

JAMESTOWN - The rebuilding of one of this town's landmarks - the railroad overpass on High Point Road - has been completed and traffic no longer has to be detoured on High Point Road near Guilford Technical Community College.

The road was reopened Monday afternoon, eliminating the 2.6 mile detour for motorists going through downtown Jamestown to get to the college campus, Ragsdale High School, Millis Road Elementary School and Ragsdale Middle School.

The detour, which also affected residents on both sides of the underpass, was started on Feb. 2. The area was hit with morning and afternoon traffic jams while the schools were in session.

At least 12,000 vehicles had been using the underpass daily, according to figures from the Department of Transportation. The traffic count showed that about 15,000 vehicles were using the major intersection of High Point Road (Main Street) at Guilford Road each day. This is one of the intersections that was impacted by the detour.

The rebuilding of the aged overpass, much of it built with timbers, was part of an improvement project on nine miles of the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks between Greensboro and High Point. The cost of rebuilding the overpass was set at $1.7 million, which was a part of the $21 million price tag for the entire project. No part of the old overpass remains.

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