Rolling railroad-crossing closures to hit western Morgan County next week

Drivers across Jacksonville and western Morgan County are about to lose one railroad crossing after another as rail maintenance moves down the line from Farmingdale Road to Orleans Road, with each closure expected to last about 48 to 72 hours. For commuters, school routes and farm equipment hauling between rural roads, that means the disruption will not be a single shutdown but a rolling string of delays as crews finish one crossing and shift to the next.

The crossing list is broad enough to touch much of the western side of the county. The work is expected to hit Farley, Loami Bates, Bates, Patton School, Olive Street, Locust Street, Waverly, Jimtown, Island Grove, County Line, Cockin Road, Contrary Lane, Pearl Street and Orleans. WLDS/WEAI Radio reported that the crossings will be handled in sequence rather than all at once, so the project is likely to keep moving along the corridor instead of shutting down the entire stretch at the same time.

The Village of Loami said May 11 that residents had been notified the railroad would begin maintenance May 18. Its alert said the work would progress from Farmingdale Road to Orleans Road in Morgan County, with each crossing closed for approximately 48 to 72 hours while repairs are completed. That timeline makes the closures especially important for people who rely on short local trips, because a road that is usually crossed in seconds could be blocked for two or three days at a time.

Waverly, Loami and the roads serving the county line are among the places most likely to feel the pinch first, since the work will step through a string of crossings rather than pause in one spot. For farm traffic, that can mean rerouting slow-moving equipment onto other crossings farther away. For school-route traffic and daily commuters, it can mean longer drives and repeated backtracking as the project advances.

Motorists who need to check conditions before leaving can use Illinois Department of Transportation’s road-closure information, which is updated for planned lane changes and closures. Railroad grade crossings can also be searched by county through the Illinois Commerce Commission’s service. For Morgan County, where rail lines and rural roads intersect daily life, the next several days will bring a practical test of how well drivers can shift around one closed crossing after another.