Slow Down at Railroad Crossings in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, or You Could Go Airborne

If you are driving in the Lewiston-Auburn area and you approach a railroad crossing, you will want to slow down or you might end up doing some damage to your vehicle.

CSX Transportation, the owner of the railroad that passes through Auburn and Lewiston, is doing track work in the area, including construction on railroad crossings. Looking at this photo of the Court Street railroad crossing from last month, you can see why.

Unfortunately, CSX's predecessor, Pan Am Railways, didn't put a lot of money into repairs and upgrades to their line, but CSX is doing a lot of work to bring the railroad up to today's standards.

They are preparing to install continuous welded rail, which will allow trains to travel faster and open up the opportunity for passenger rail service to Lewiston-Auburn. They've already laid the new rail alongside the current rail in preparation to install it.

The railroad crossings are getting work done as well, but it takes some time. Drivers are finding out the hard way that some of the crossings are a little rough at the moment.

The Auburn Police Department posted on this message on their Facebook page, along with a video:

Traffic Advisory: The railroad crossing on Court St between Union St and Spring St has been raised. As a result the road surface around it is similar to a speed hump. Slow down when crossing it. See attached video for reference.

When you look at the video, you'll see some cars fly over the crossing because they're traveling too fast over the raised surface. Some even are bouncing off the pavement.

If they lose a muffler here on the Court Street crossing, Meineke is right there on the left to take care of it. Well, unless it's in the middle of the night.

So let this be a reminder to approach the railroad crossings in the downtown areas of Auburn and Lewiston slowly so that you don't leave a piece of your car behind.