PIERCE COUNTY, Ga. — There is only one way in to Oak Ridge trail and one way out. For years, residents in the area have complained about a train blocking the neighborhood for hours. Some expressed how they have to plan their commute or race to get home so they can beat the train.
Randy Legare, a Pierce County resident said he patience at times, runs thin.
"Sometimes you'll have a train parked here for maybe an hour - two hours," Legare explained.
Residents mentioned how people made their own detour on a dirt road when the train sits. They maneuver their vehicles around a locked gate that's owned by CSX.
Neighbors told First Coast News a train blocked the area for two hours, Tuesday. According to the county manager, Jason Rubenbauer, the county commissioners are "working with CSX transportation and the Georgia Department of Transportation to find a viable solution to this issue."
In an e-mail to First Coast News, "The safety of our residents is an extremely important matter to us and we will continue to make this a high priority for the residents in this area."
To Carla Sefrass, who's lived on the trail for more than 25 years, she doesn't feel as if she and her neighbors are a priority.
"God forbid you're running late and guess what? There's a train," Safrass chuckled. "Going to church, there's a train. When you're at church, guess what? There's another train."
Frankly, they just want the train to not stop in front of their neighborhood. First Coast News also reached out to CSX for comment, but have not heard back.