Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The railroad crossing at West 9th Street in West Point will soon be open to regular traffic again. The city council voted to have it reopened at Mayor Steve Tramell’s request during the city council meeting on Monday night.

The West 9th Street and US-29 intersection have been closed since a sinkhole appeared at the crossing in August. 

The sinkhole began as a relatively small, approximately basketball-sized hole in the middle of the road. City officials opened up a large portion of the street to investigate its origins and later filled it.

Though the cause was not confirmed, West Point City Manager Ed Moon said it may have been caused by flood damage after the storms last March or the frequent use of 18-wheeler trucks. 

The city has kept the roadblocks up while they decided whether to repair grading issues at the crossing or keep the crossing closed indefinitely. CSX Transportation, the railroad company that owns the land at the crossing, expressed interest in keeping the crossing closed.

However, after discussion during the last work session, the city council voted to reopen it to thru traffic.