Motorists may have noticed that earlier this month Norfolk Southern removed tracks on Industrial Park Drive between Turman and Old Peachtree. It was a one-day disruption, but an important part of maintaining the city roads.
“It was a tiny turn-off not being used anymore,” said Norfolk Southern spokesman Connor Spielmaker. “The city contacted us and asked that the ties be taken out.”
This isn’t unusual.
The railroad giant has more than 19,000 miles of rails across a 22-state network.
Norfolk Southern recently completed a project in Hilliard, Ohio, a small suburb of Columbus, in which railroad ties were collected for removal from property where an active line once existed.
In early 2012, it also cleared nearly 2 million railroad ties in the Roanoke, Virginia suburb of Radford. The multi-year effort cleared the former industrial location and eliminated a potential environmental concern.
“Whenever possible, we strive to be good neighbors,” said Spielmaker.
