Downtown Wheaton railroad crossing to close for repairs

Wheaton drivers will need to avoid the Main Street railroad crossing downtown over Father’s Day weekend.

Union Pacific Railroad has told the city that repairs to the crossing will require it to be closed from approximately 9 a.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Monday, June 16.

Union Pacific recently identified a defect in the rail at the crossing and must complete repairs within a month to ensure the safety of both rail and vehicle traffic, according to a city Facebook post. Completing the work will also allow trains to resume normal speeds through the downtown, reducing gate-down times and minimizing wait times for drivers.

A detour route will direct northbound Main Street traffic west on Liberty Drive, north on West Street, east on Front Street and north on Main, according to a city notice.

The detour will funnel southbound Main Street traffic west on Wesley Street, south on West Street, east on Liberty and south on Main.