CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. – Residents in Cahokia Heights are dealing with even more roadway construction in an already busy area. Railroad crossings are shut down at three separate intersections while crews work on the tracks.

“It is like the perfect storm,” Janice Patterson said. Her 88-year-old mother lives on the opposite side of the tracks. “Which was less than half a mile to get to her house, now I have to drive almost ten miles in either direction and it is a problem.”

Patterson and her neighbors said they are cut off from the other side of town. They said they’re understanding of the work, but said it is frustrating the shut down the crossings at the same time.

“They tore up the main highway, we can’t get out. We can’t get out from the city streets, again it is like the penitentiary. You can come to the yard, but you can’t leave. So, we’re just trapped in this area,” Ronald Thompson said.

On Tuesday, Norfolk Southern employees could be seen working on the crossings at 42nd Street, Jarvis Place, and 50th Street.

“You can’t get out. My sister called me, I had to run around to her house and come back,” Thompson said. “I’ve got to do all the way down to 25th Street, which is in East St. Louis, just to get on the other side of these tracks.”

FOX 2 contacted Norfolk Southern to ask how long they expect to have the crossings shut down. A spokesperson sent the following statement:

We have teams in the area performing some rail replacement work there this week. To complete the work, we’ve had to coordinate some periodic closures, but we have worked to reopen those crossings when teams are not actively working there, like overnight. Work began yesterday and is expected to be completed by tomorrow morning. We know these temporary closures can be an inconvenience and appreciate the community’s patience and understanding during this important work to keep our railroad safely maintained and our crossings smooth.

Norfolk Southern statement

“If I wasn’t afraid of being hit by a train, literally, I could get there faster by walking than driving and that shouldn’t be the case,” Patterson said.