Update: As of 7:09 p.m. Wednesday, Deputy Chief Satur announced that repairs to the track on Colo. 66 were complete and the highway has been reopened.
Longmont police are advising motorists to steer clear of the railroad tracks on Colo. 66 just east of Walmart.
In an email sent shortly after 3 p.m. today, Jeff Satur, deputy chief of Longmont Police Services, advised that a closure of the highway is expected to last at least three hours but could go as late as 10 p.m.
A panel at the crossing that BNSF Railway replaced keeps coming loose and is being damaged by vehicles, Satur stated in the email.
“This is a BNSF repair issue,” Satur stated. “Today, (Longmont Public Works & Natural Resources) is helping with the emergency repair in hopes that it will be more permanent.”
This is the third time police have had to close the road because of damage at the railroad tracks, according to Satur.
The exact location of the damage is shown in the attached photo, but Satur stated it is about 1,280 feet east of Erfert St., north on Colo. 66.
