WESSON — As several town officials looked on Thursday morning,Canadian National Railroad employees began the process ofdismantling and closing the Seventh Street railroad crossing thathas been a source of controversy for more than a year.

“I’m very disappointed with what’s taking place here thismorning,” Ward Four Alderman Hollis Cowen Jr. told railroad andMississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) officialsThursday.

Wayne Barfield, special agent for Canadian National, said thecrossing was ordered closed at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

“We’re following the orders of the DOT,” Barfield said. “The(state transportation) commission voted to close this crossing, andthat’s what we’re doing.”

Cowen, however, challenged the commission action. He saidCentral Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, whose districtincludes Copiah County, opposed the closure, but he was outvoted byfellow commissioners Wayne Brown and Bill Minor.

“That’s the way it works. It was closed on a 2-1 vote,” MDOTRails Inspector Allen Stringer told Cowen.

Cowen, whose ward includes the crossing, also questioned thequick response from Canadian National. He said the company moved toclose the crossing less than 48 hours after the vote.

“We should have been notified,” Cowen said.

Advocates of the crossing closure could argue that the townreceived notification of MDOT plans during several board meetingdiscussions over the last year. Despite town board votes in favorof keeping the crossing open, MDOT Rails Division Engineer StevenEdwards told town officials last May he would recommend it beclosed.

“It just took a little time to get to this,” Edwards said.

In August 2002 and in May 2003, aldermen voted down an MDOTproposal that would have upgraded the crossing at Main Street whileclosing the one at Seventh Street. The proposal also included aprovision to give the town $30,000 as a reimbursement for closingthe Seventh Street crossing.

Edwards said that MDOT was proceeding with plans and costestimates to install a gate and lights at Main Street.

“We’re still going to honor the gate at Main Street,” saidEdwards, estimating it would take about a year to complete thatwork.

Proponents of closing the crossing have cited the potential foraccidents at Seventh Street due to a nearby curve in the rail line.Edwards also mentioned the fact that there is no active warningsystem at the crossing.

“There were lots of issues considered,” Edwards said, addingthat the safest crossing is a closed crossing. “Nobody’s going toget hit at Seventh Street.”

Even with the Seventh Street closing, Edwards said motoristswill still have at least three protected crossings with gates andlights and two overpasses to get over the railroad.

Cowen said no one had been hit or killed at the crossing,although some cars had hit trains. He cited a new road surface anda new stop sign put in place in response to safety concerns overSeventh Street.

“We’ve done everything we could to make this crossing safe,”Cowen said.

Furthermore, Cowen said another concern was that Seventh Streetwas a main road connecting both sides of town.

“It’s not just a little old railroad crossing,” Cowen said.

The alderman expressed some resignation about the fate of thecrossing.

“After this is done, it’s done, and we know that,” said Cowen,although he indicated that he planned to bring the issue up at thenext town board meeting on Tuesday.

After speaking with others later Thursday, Cowen said the townhas 10 days to appeal the commission decision. He said Hall, whowas most informed about the situation, was overruled.

“We hope to work and at least get a voice in speaking with theother commissioners,” Cowen said.

Cowen said it was an “irresponsible request” that resulted inthe crossing closure. The alderman’s comment was aimed at formerMayor Bill Tigner, who sought the closing even though the board hadunanimously opposed it.

When contacted later Thursday, Tigner said he was pleased tohear about the MDOT action. He also cited safety issues in hissupport of the action.

“In my opinion, it wasn’t a matter of if there was going to bean accident, it was a matter of when,” Tigner said. “I think MDOTis doing the right thing.”

Regarding Cowen’s comment about him, Tigner defended hisaction.

“As mayor of the town, I had the perfect right to request that,”Tigner said. “And legally, MDOT had a right to make thatdecision.”

Tigner said he would worked to have the crossing closed again ifgiven the chance.

“The irresponsible thing was not accepting the generous offerfrom the railroad,” Tigner said. “Now, they’ve got the crossingclosed and won’t be reimbursed for it.”