Crashes, deaths at Durham railroad crossings lead to study for improving safety

There's been 19 crashes at three Durham railroad crossings over the past 25 years.

Four people have died.

Now, Durham County is getting federal funding to look at solutions.

The most recent fatality was at the intersection of Ellis Road and Angier Avenue in mid-April.

People who work in the area told WRAL News that the combination of a busy, narrow road in a growing area, multiple trains running on the track every day and confusing signage has created a perfect storm.

Both passenger and freight trains run on the tracks.

Three east Durham crossings - one at South Driver Street, South Plum Street, and Ellis Road will be the subjects of a study to improve safety and mobility.

Emmanuel Mendoza is a manager at Catrines Men Salon on Driver Street, just a couple hundred feet back from the tracks.

"It's a very active intersection," Mendoza said.

He heard the wreck in April that killed Charles Hightower.

"I was the first one to run out like as soon as it happened and as I'm running, my first thought was like yo, go check to see if I can help anybody," Mendoza said.

Across the street is Congress Social Bar. Owner Beverley Makhubele said driver confusion seems to be a major issue.

"It really seemed like if there was a better sense of how to navigate this intersection and what's happening in this intersection," Makhubele said. "The gentleman really just looked confused about what to do on the track. To me, that's an entirely avoidable fatality."

Makhubele said the traffic light is also unreliable.

"I think what that does is it encourages a sort of culture of doing whatever you need to do to beat the train, and I've seen a lot of people do that," Makhubele said.

Durham County received about $1.2 million from the federal government for this study, as well as additional funding administered by GoTriangle.