JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A neighborhood on the Westside will be blocked in for more than 12 hours due to maintenance on a railroad track.
Ron Boatright has lived in the small neighborhood on Turkey Road for five decades.
So, when he says the only way to access the outside world is by traveling down Halsema Road, you can trust his word.
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“This is the only way in or out of our neighborhood,” said Boatright.
Last Friday, he noticed a sign on Halsema Road, advising neighbors that their only exit would be closed from 7 AM to 9 PM next Wednesday, as crews with CSX perform maintenance on the railroad crossing.
That means for up to 14 hours, there will be no way in or out for the neighbor, nor the handful of businesses on the south side of the tracks.
Boatright also said many of the residents in his neighborhood are elderly, and he worries about what might happen if there were a medical emergency during the road closure.
“You’ve got 50 other folks, 50 other homes in there that people have to get in and out of to go to work, plus you have four businesses here that are gonna be completely shut down for a day,” said Boatright.
Boatright said when he and his neighbors have reached out to CSX to complain or ask questions, they haven’t gotten much of a response.
“It’s not our problem,” Boatright said.
We reached out to CSX ourselves and asked what the company’s plan is to ensure neighbors can travel to and from work next Wednesday and what plan it has in the case of a medical emergency inside the neighborhood.
Without providing specifics, a company spokesperson told us, “CSX and our contractors are working closely with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department on contingency plans”.
According to CSX, the work should be done by 8 PM, rather than 9 PM as indicated by the sign.
Boatright argued that the response just doesn’t cut it.
“I mean, I go to work at 7 o’clock every morning. I don’t want to be sitting out there until 9:30 at night waiting to get back to my home,” said Boatright.
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