Royston to Hold Public Hearings on Railroad Crossing Closures

The City of Royston will hold a public hearing next month to get input from citizens on whether to close four railroad crossings.

In February, Royston City Manager Ed Andrews told the Royston City Council Hartwell Railroad sent a letter to the city asking them to consider closing the crossings at Lee St. and SR17, Carlton St., Bowers St. and Tony Jones St.

“Their petition states the Georgia Department of Transportation has mandated the railroads look at all of their crossings throughout the State of Georgia, not just Hartwell Railroad, but all railroads in Georgia,” Andrews said. “From my understanding have been looked at and deemed redundant and have been looked at from a safety standpoint.”

At their regular meeting Tuesday, Royston Mayor David Jordan called for the public hearing after meeting in executive session with a representative from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The public hearing will take place Tuesday, May 12 at 6p at Royston City Hall. During the hearing next month, the City Council and Mayor hope to gather information about whether closing any of the railroad crossings would be a hardship for citizens.

Andrews said the City Council also voted Tuesday to hire an independent consultant to research the matter.  No word on when the City Council expects to make a final decision on whether to close the crossings.