DUNN — Trains are becoming a big headache for residents living in one Harnett County Community.

Almost 20 times everyday, Dunn motorists come face-to-face with the trains that rolls through the center of town. What makes it worse is that they have to wait it out because there are no alternate routes to get across the tracks.

"There are quite a few minutes wasted out of my day," says driver Angela Williams.

For most drivers, the trains are an inconvenience and a hassle. To residents like Dan McArten, they are also health hazards.

"What if there was someone out there having a heart attack. That is what we need to look at," he says.

Carl Dean, Dunn City Manager, has been looking into the situation for the past four years. He says he has repeatedly asked theState Department of Transportation(DOT) to build an overpass so drivers will not be stopped by trains.

Last Friday, a train stalled on the tracks for more than a hour due to mechanical difficulties. Dean says the situation not only puts drivers' life on hold, but it also puts them in danger.

"A lot of this stuff is out of our hands. We can continue to ask as we have done for the last five or six years, but it is going to be dependent on what the State Department of Transportation wants to do with it," Dunn says.

No one from the DOT could be reached for comment, but the city manager says even after the DOT makes a decision, it could take up to seven years for them to build an overpass.