Crews to begin railroad crossing repair between Groesbeck, Gratiot

By Heidi Roman
C & G Staff Writer

MACOMB COUNTY — Drivers who use M-59 to travel east or west through Macomb County can expect traffic delays as Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) crews and Canadian National Railroad (CN) replace the rickety railroad crossing between Groesbeck Highway and Gratiot Avenue.

Beginning Friday, MDOT will enforce a traffic shift to direct eastbound motorists over to westbound M-59 while crews get started on the reconstruction. Drivers have already been dealing with single lane closures in each direction while pre-construction work was completed.

“The tracks are pretty much dilapidated,” said MDOT spokesperson Rob Morosi. “The pavement approaching (the tracks) has reached the point where people are slowing to 20 to 30 miles per hour.”

The repairs will take place on the stretch of roadway passing through Clinton, Macomb and Chesterfield townships, west of I-94. The project should be completed by Labor Day.

“Judging on traffic volumes on M-59, which are close to 50,000 to 60,000 (vehicles) per day in that area, we are going to manage this via traffic shift,” Morosi said.

Eastbound M-59 will be closed, and drivers will shift to the westbound side of the road by crossing over a temporary roadway built in the median. Traffic on the side of M-59 that remains open will be reduced to two lanes in each direction.

“So westbound traffic will use the two right lanes, and eastbound (traffic) will use the two left lanes,” Morosi said.

With no traffic on eastbound M-59, CN Railroad crews will be able to replace the tracks that cross that side of the roadway. Workers contracted by MDOT will reconstruct the approaches leading up to the tracks.

“The quickest way to get this project completed and restore mobility is to utilize a crossover,” Morosi said.

It’s easier and quicker to replace the tracks on the entire side of the road at one time, rather than closing two lanes in each direction, and only replacing half of the tracks over each side of the road, he said.

After about 10 days the shift will switch, and westbound traffic will move to the newly repaired eastbound M-59. 

MDOT will spend nearly $600,000 on the project, which includes traffic control measures, new pavement and the cost of the temporary pavement installed in the median. After the road and tracks are repaired, the pavement in the median will be removed.

“The investment is well worth it,” Morosi said.

A spokesperson from Canadian National could not immediately offer details of the railroad reconstruction project. Morosi said CN Railroad is responsible for the cost of replacing its tracks.

The work should be completed by late August, barring an excessive amount of rainfall. At the latest, the project would be done by Labor Day, Morosi said.