UPDATE: Freight train company to cut cars blocking Florence County road

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - The freight train company at the center of a Florence community’s frustration says it has a solution to the recent traffic issues.

Residents near North Firetower Road, just a few miles from Francis Marion University, say the CSX train blocks a road they need immediate access to.

Several residents spoke with WMBF News about the roadblock issue, saying the entire experience is frustrating.

Sometimes it happens for hours, or even days, at a time - and those in the area want the company responsible to do something about it.

Residents weren’t the only ones expressing their concerns.

Windy Hill Volunteer Fire Company Chief John Delung says his responders also use North Firetower Road to get to nearby neighborhoods.

Delung said when the train blocks the road, it cuts off the agency’s ability to quickly respond to the northern part of their district. He says the next best alternate route adds an additional 10-15 minutes to their response time.

Recently, he says it took crews longer to get to an emergency because of a train blocking the road.

CSX told WMBF they expect this was a unique occurrence and have notified the transportation team to cut cars at this crossing going forward, thereby avoiding blocking the road so traffic can go on interrupted once the train has passed through.