AVON PARK - Traffic was snarled Monday evening approaching the downtown area after the railroad crossing closed along Main Street near the Depot Museum.
Pleasant Street saw several more cars while Bell Street and Museum Avenue were congested at times with traffic going around the crossing. Avon Park Police Cmdr. Michael Rowan said delays should be expected through those two detours during the time school lets out.
And when a freight train comes through, save the gas and turn off the car for a bit.
"They're going very slow and it's tying traffic like you wouldn't believe," he said, saying one could be held at the railroad crossings for up to 15 minutes.
Main Street between Central and Museum avenues - a stretch of less than a city block - closed Monday and will remain closed until Saturday, Dec. 8.
The city closed that part of the street to smooth the bumps on the crossing. City Project Manager Maria Sutherland said some residents complained about it before and the city is addressing it as it rebuilds the crossing.
Drivers have mostly been directed to go along Bell Street, but those going through Avon Park that would normally take Main Street may want to look for other detours. Rowan suggested going through County Road 17-A on the north side of the city, or connecting to Lake Avenue from the south.
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