The abandoned railroad crossing on Emory Street just south of U.S. Highway 278 will be removed and paved next week, and while drivers will welcome not having to navigate the mangled steel, they will have to avoid the street for a few days.

Emory Street will be closed from Monday through Thursday, Aug. 4, as the city removes the tracks from the road and the Georgia Department of Transportation then mills and repaves the road surface.

The detour will be to use Pace and Usher streets.

"One of the rails broke so it was such an elevated hump that we got permission (from the railroad) to go pull rails and mill the road down to a good profile," city Transportation Manager Billy Skinner said.

State transportation spokeswoman Cissy McNure said Tuesday that the state also is planning to pave the abandoned rail crossing on U.S. Highway 278 west of West Street during the week of Aug. 8. The state will not close all lanes, but will work on half of the road at a time.

Both crossings are part of the out-of-use Norfolk Southern rail line that runs through much of Newton County. Most of the other crossings have already been paved over.

The active CSX rail crossing on Emory Street north of U.S. Highway 278 will likely be repaired by CSX this fall, McNure said.

The city repaved Carlton Trail last week in front of Cousins Middle School because the street had been damaged by excessive traffic including school buses, Skinner said.

Airport Road work completed; Crowell Road/81 intersection moves forward

The county has completed its work on Airport Road well ahead of the Aug. 4 start of school at the new Flint Hill Elementary, County Engineer Tom Garrett said.

The work, widening the entrance to Airport Road from Ga. Highway 142 and adding a short turning lane, cost $18,000 for materials and purchased services, said Garrett.

A full widening and realignment of the intersection is being designed and construction should begin later this year or in early 2012. In the meantime, a deputy will direct traffic during peak school hours.

The county also has submitted plans to the state to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Ga. Highway 81 and Crowell Road. Garrett said the county will begin purchasing right-of-way for the project this fall and begin construction by spring 2012.