The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Company will replace five railroad-crossing surfaces within the city of Medina this month, the Sun News reports. Crossings at S. Elmwood Ave., S. Huntington St., W. Smith Rd., S. Prospect St., and Medina St. will each be upgraded. During construction stretches, roads will be closed near the railroad tracks.

"The work will be really right at the tracks, maybe extended 30 or 40 foot," said Medina Engineer Patrick Patton.

WLE's railroad surface work in the southern portion of Medina will be completed in three phases. Construction began Aug. 9 at the crossings on S. Elmwood and S. Huntington and both crossings were completed August 13. WLE personnel began work on the W. Smith Road railroad crossing August 16, and should be finished on august 27. W. Smith Road, between S. Huntington and S. Elmwood, is currently closed to all traffic.

"West Smith is really one of our main roads," Patton said before construction began. "We'll need to set up a detour."

Beginning August 23, construction will begin at the crossings on S. Prospect and Medina Streets. S. Prospect, between W. Washington St. and W. Smith Rd., and Medina St., between W. Smith and Blake Rd., will be closed during construction and will reopen on Aug. 27.

Medina officials signed a contract in February with WLE and three other entities for railroad surface upgrades at the five aforementioned locations as well as the installation of railroad gates and flashing signals at four separate crossings in Medina.

The gates and flashers will be installed later this fall, Patton said.