Hillsborough (NJ) begins work on train line quiet zones
Project may cost less than anticipated, traffic engineer says
By PAMELA SROKA Staff Writer
HILLSBOROUGH -- The Township Committee has taken a step toward establishing railroad quiet zones along the Norfolk Southern rail line after approving a notice of intent to the Federal Railroad Administration. Quiet zones are a section of a rail line that contains one or more public crossings, where locomotive horns will not be routinely sounded. Under federal law, locomotives are required to sound their horns when approaching crossings.
The notice to the federal government states that safety improvements are necessary for quiet zones to be established at four crossings along the Norfolk Southern Railroad at Beekman Lane, Auten Road, Valley Road and Roycefield Road. The crossings are within a few miles of each other.
The township appropriated $300,000 for the project after receiving $250,000 from developer Beazer Homes and using $50,000 from last year's capital budget. However, Maurice Rached, an engineer for Maser Consulting and the township's traffic engineer, said construction costs for the improvements will be less than originally anticipated. Original cost estimates ranged $350,000 to $450,000 and now the full costs will be about $300,000, Rached said during Tuesday's Township Committee meeting.
The project calls for more security devices to be installed so the zones may be approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, Rached said. The purpose of the notice is to provide an opportunity for railroads and state agencies to offer comments and recommendations to the township zone, he said. Federal regulations require the notice must be filed with the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington, D.C.; the state Department of Transportation Rail Safety Division; and with the Norfolk Southern Corporation in Roanoke, Va., said Clerk and Business Administrator Kevin Davis.
Rached said the following improvements to the crossings would be needed to meet the requirements for quiet zone designation:
- Beekman Lane: Construction of 4-foot wide, 100-foot long, raised islands at both approaches to the crossing; additional signage and pavement striping. Installation of a "power-out" indicator.
- Auten Road: Construction of 4-foot wide, 100-foot long, raised islands at both approaches to the crossing; additional signage and pavement striping. Installation of a "power-out" indicator.
- Valley Road: Construction of two new gates, which will cross the entire roadway, curbing at the edges of the roadway to prohibit vehicles from traversing around the gate. A wayside horn will be installed for each vehicular approach. Installation of a "power-out" indicator.
- Roycefield Road: Construction of 4-foot wide, 100-foot long, raised islands at both approaches to the crossing; additional signage and pavement striping. Installation of a "power-out" indicator.