CALDWELL, Idaho — The City of Caldwell plans to permanently close the Fourth Avenue railroad crossing, a move required to widen Ustick Road. The crossing's closure is worrying some nearby businesses, who are concerned about the impact on their customers.
WATCH: Learn about the closure and neighbors' concerns
Hallie Hart, an engineer with the City of Caldwell, said the project has been years in the making. The city is working with Union Pacific to improve infrastructure and safety concerns by eliminating the Fourth crossing and reducing conflicts between trains and cars.
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"In order to get Ustick widened, we were required to close Fourth," Hart said. "The railroad is requiring this closure."
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For Adan Robles and his family's auto shop, the permanent closure of the Fourth Avenue crossing came as a surprise. Many of their customers rely on a route through the crossing to reach them.
"It kind of damages our business," Robles said.
"People come through that way, and now they’re gonna have to go around — and that causes a lot of ruckus," Robles said.
When it comes to car trouble, every second matters. With only Fifth Avenue open for drivers crossing the tracks, Robles is concerned about delays.
"If a car is coming in with a flat tire and has to go around, it’s going to cause more damage to the vehicle," Robles said.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
"We're going to put some jersey barriers up here in the next week or two to get that closure started," Hart said, "Then during the construction, we'll actually go in ... place some curbing so that people can't drive through, and then the railroad will come in and tear up the asphalt."
Hart said the permanent closure comes with the perk of using the space to install parking spots.
"So we are going to gain 8 parking stalls when we close the railroad tracks," Hart said.
As for Robles' family business, they are looking at ways to remind the community that the business is still there.
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