Lane on McMullen Booth Closing for Railroad Repairs

A lane on one of the heaviest-traveled roads in Clearwater will be closed starting Thursday morning.

The southbound center lane of McMullen Booth Road near the railway crossing just south of State Road 590 will be closed at 9 a.m. until CSX and county crews can inspect and repair a concrete transition panel next week.

Bolts between the concrete and the wooden railroad ties below keep coming loose on one of the panels, said Peter Yauch, Pinellas County director of traffic. 

"There are concrete panels that basically bridge the gap betwee the rails and the end of pavement," Yauch said. "For some reason, the bolts keep coming out."

The lane should be reopened before the end of next week, Yauch said. 

"We don't expect any major traffic backups," Yauch said, pointing out that the closing is after the morning rush hour and schools get out for summer vacation June 7. "We should be in pretty good shape."

The panel serves as a transition from the railroad tracks to the road. Southbound traffic will be shifted to the inside and outside lanes until repairs are complete. 

Drivers should use caution near the railway crossing and be prepared to merge left or right. 

If the repairs require additional lane closures or rerouting of southbound traffic, drivers will be notified in advance and detour signs will be clearly posted, officials said in a release.

This is the fourth time in about a year that the road has had to close for similar repair work. Most recently, the southbound lanes were completely closed as . Before that, crews repaired the same section because of a . They then had to come back in October to .

CSX did a major overhaul at the intersection about four years ago. At the time, the road was closed for about three weeks in both directions so crews could install the concrete pads and do other work on the ties and line. CSX officials expected the panel to last at least 10 years. CSX and Penny for Pinellas paid more than $700,000 for the project.

Residents with questions can call CSX Railroad at 877-835-5279.