Heads up St. Pete drivers: CSX railroad repairs will shut down portion of 22nd Avenue N. for one week

CSX gives St. Pete little notice for maintenance

Dan Matics reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - This week could mean a frustrating commute for many St. Petersburg drivers after CSX closed down a crucial city street citing emergency railroad repairs.

On Saturday, the mayor confirmed that 22nd Avenue North would be closed between Interstate 275 and 25th Street for the week, adding that drivers would need to find a work-around.

The closure comes on the heels of last week’s traffic headaches after CSX shut down 19 roads throughout the Tampa peninsula. City officials said CSX failed to file for proper permits and didn’t stick to their pre-announced schedule for road closures. Some roads were blocked off where no work was underway.

They cited emergency railroad repairs as the reason for the closures throughout Tampa, however with no advanced notice, the city was given no time to prepare.

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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor expressed her frustration over last week’s closures, and Tampa city council members even filed a motion to create a communications department for public works to prevent a similar miscommunication from happening again.

However, over the weekend St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman took to Twitter to voice his own aggravation over the newest road closure. He said he was given no business days to prepare for the major closure. He added that he was frustrated and disappointed, but in another tweet, he encouraged drivers to "Be patient and kind. The St. Pete Way."

On Monday morning, 22nd Avenue North, from I-275 to 25th Street, was blocked off and will remain closed until the end of the week. CSX repairs are scheduled to be completed by 5 p.m. Friday.

FOX 13’s traffic reporter Mariah Harrison says the 22nd Avenue N. exit from southbound I-275 is open. After using the exit ramp, she suggests turning north on 22nd Street North and using a cross-street to travel over the railroad tracks. Another detour is traveling to 38th Avenue North and turning south on 38th Street North to reach 22nd Avenue North.