Is the sky over NC 55 falling in Apex?

It's time for CSX to pony up and be a responsible citizen in Apex. A recent report on WRAL-TV news highlights the questionable condition of the aging railway bridge that is more than sixty five years old. CSX and the State DOT agency have both deferred replacement and repair of the bridge for years and continue to point a finger to the other side with regards to responsibility. Some 25,000 cars pass under the bridge each day on their way to outlying destinations and many notice gaping holes and exposed rebar in the sides and bottom of the bridge and worry that pieces of the bridge could fall on their car at any time.

Even though the DOT bridge inspectors claim to inspect the bridge every two years they do not go onto the property and conduct a structural examination of the bridge claiming that "would be trespassing" on CSX property. The inspections amount to only a mere cosmetic inspection and do not validate the structural integrity of the bridge.

As noted in the report, Tim Donnelly, Apex public works director noted in an internal memo, "The bridge negatively impacts our citizens and clearly the traffic flow and safety of N.C. 55." On any given day traffic is constantly backed up to the town corporate limits in both directions as a direct result of not replacing an unsafe, decaying and inadequate overhead bridge. Town officials and citizens have questioned reliability of the bridge for many years and pressed for the bridge to be made wider to accommodate the huge volume of vehicles passing under it to deaf ears on the part of CSX.

For as long as anyone can remember, the concrete bridge has been the worst bottleneck on NC 55 for commuters and locals and has been the one item blocking improvements in the road that could prevent most of the massive traffic backups through out each day. As the condition of the bridge continues to decline, drivers worry that it is only a matter of time before a chunk of concrete falls onto a windshield and causes a serious injury or a major accident.

What do you think about leaving an old bridge in place and allowing safety and traffic backups to continue unchecked? Shouldn't the bridge be moved to the top of the list for replacement?

Read the entire news report...