The railroad crossing on State Highway 51 just west of U.S. 81 was completely reconstructed earlier in 2026 by Union Pacific. The original crossing had deteriorated over a number of years, with motorists frequently reporting rough pavement and uneven tracks. Union Pacific announced the reconstruction project in March and temporarily closed the crossing in early April to replace the crossing structure. During a complete railroad crossing reconstruction, crews typically:
- Remove the existing rails and crossing panels.
- Rebuild the base beneath the tracks.
- Install new rail, concrete or rubber crossing panels, and ballast.
- Repave the roadway immediately adjacent to the tracks.
Even after a crossing is rebuilt, the roadway approaches can sometimes settle as traffic and weather affect the newly placed materials. This can leave a noticeable bump or dip where the highway meets the crossing. In these cases, the railroad returns to grind, patch, or replace asphalt to create a smoother transition.The July 30 closure appears to have addressed exactly that issue. Rather than rebuilding the crossing itself again, Union Pacific crews repaired and smoothed the pavement leading up to the tracks to improve ride quality and reduce the rough approaches motorists had begun noticing.Because State Highway 51 is an Oklahoma state highway, traffic control and detours during the closure were coordinated with transportation officials while Union Pacific performed the work within its railroad right-of-way
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