Location is Montgomery Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.
News from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders
April 16,
2014
County Route 601 Quiet Zone Railroad Project Underway in Montgomery
MONTGOMERY – Township residents and commuters who travel County Route 601 will soon see a newly redesigned railroad crossing that will enhance safety and is expected to lead to a “quiet zone” designation that will reduce train-horn noise.
“This project will provide much-needed respite from train noise in a well-populated residential area,” said Somerset County Freeholder Deputy Director Mark Caliguire, a former township mayor.
“Montgomery residents will certainly benefit from this crossing safety improvement in more ways than one,” said Mayor Rich Smith. “We thank NJDOT and Somerset County for their support, which is making this quiet zone a reality for us.”
The project is intended to improve safety at the crossing by installing a median island on CR 601, which will facilitate the completion of the installation of four quadrant gates at the crossing. The four quadrant gates will prevent vehicles from entering the crossing after the gates have dropped. The work is expected to be completed by April 21.
As an added benefit, once the four quadrant gates are active, the crossing likely will meet Federal Rail Administration (FRA) quiet-zone requirements. Somerset County then can apply for a quiet zone at this crossing to reduce the noise associated with train horns.
By increasing the safety at the crossing to the levels approved by the FRA, the train operator will be instructed to sound the horn only in an emergency, and not every time a train approaches the crossing, as happens currently.
The total project cost is $194,000, with $160,000 coming from an NJDOT Rail grant.
County Route 601 Quiet Zone Railroad Project Underway in Montgomery
MONTGOMERY – Township residents and commuters who travel County Route 601 will soon see a newly redesigned railroad crossing that will enhance safety and is expected to lead to a “quiet zone” designation that will reduce train-horn noise.
“This project will provide much-needed respite from train noise in a well-populated residential area,” said Somerset County Freeholder Deputy Director Mark Caliguire, a former township mayor.
“Montgomery residents will certainly benefit from this crossing safety improvement in more ways than one,” said Mayor Rich Smith. “We thank NJDOT and Somerset County for their support, which is making this quiet zone a reality for us.”
The project is intended to improve safety at the crossing by installing a median island on CR 601, which will facilitate the completion of the installation of four quadrant gates at the crossing. The four quadrant gates will prevent vehicles from entering the crossing after the gates have dropped. The work is expected to be completed by April 21.
As an added benefit, once the four quadrant gates are active, the crossing likely will meet Federal Rail Administration (FRA) quiet-zone requirements. Somerset County then can apply for a quiet zone at this crossing to reduce the noise associated with train horns.
By increasing the safety at the crossing to the levels approved by the FRA, the train operator will be instructed to sound the horn only in an emergency, and not every time a train approaches the crossing, as happens currently.
The total project cost is $194,000, with $160,000 coming from an NJDOT Rail grant.
2014 Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Patrick Scaglione, Freeholder Director Ÿ Mark Caliguire, Freeholder Deputy Director
Peter S. Palmer, Freeholder Ÿ Robert Zaborowski, Freeholder Ÿ Patricia L. Walsh, Freeholder