WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The Warner Robins Police Department says Watson Boulevard will be closed at Highway 247 until Tuesday, May 16.
A Norfolk Southern train slammed into a flatbed truck stuck on the tracks Wednesday afternoon. The police department says the crash damaged the crossing. It happened right in front of police headquarters outside Robins Air Force Base.
Crews hauled off equipment and debris all afternoon Wednesday, hoping to have things cleared up for morning traffic.
"Thinking it's going to be very bad in the morning for the traffic, for the people who work at the base," said Samuel Hernandez as he drove by.
They did manage to get the train moved out of the way. Norfolk Southern had to bring another train from the south to haul the freight train off.
Warner Robins Police say the flatbed truck got stuck on the tracks when the crossing arm came down between the cab and the car it was hauling. The driver saw the train coming at him and ran from the truck seconds before the crash.
"That's another accident happening here. A few months ago, the train came off the track. And now, another one," Hernandez said, remembering a derailment last July.
That had Watson closed for days, with cleanup stretching for months. Norfolk Southern hoped to have this resolved sooner, with a temporary crossing; but the police department says the company needs to wait until a new crossing arm comes in.
They say barriers are up blocking the crossing, and detour signs are posted. They ask all drivers to reconsider their commutes.
To help you plan your morning, we have a couple detours for you. The closest crossings to Watson Boulevard are Green Street to the north, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the south.