For quiet Montgomery RR crossings, trains won’t blow their own horns

Township joins county effort to win grant to reconstruct crossings to make them safer and quieter

By: Greg Forester
   MONTGOMERY — Somerset County is seeking funding to make train crossings safer and quieter, a move that could please Montgomery residents.
   After a show of support from several municipalities including Montgomery, Somerset County has applied for funding from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to modernize train crossings throughout the county.
   "I’m pleased the county agrees and is pursuing government funding for the project," said Montgomery Township Administrator Donato Nieman. "Other municipalities have expressed a willingness to work with us as well, and we look forward to it."
   The NJTPA doles out $2 billion annually for transportation network improvements.
   If procured, the moneys would go toward modernizing the crossings through the installation of wayside horns or changing the approaches to the crossing in a process called channelization.
   "We would really like them to move ahead with funding for these alternatives," said Montgomery Committeeman Brad Fay.
   Wayside horns are placed at the actual crossing and replace the standard practice of several horn blasts from a locomotive at predetermined distances from the intersection.
   The sound blasts from the train have drawn complaints from residents living near the crossings.
   The traffic on the main CSX rail line, which cuts through residential Montgomery, can carry as many as 26 horn-tooting trains a day, according to officials.
   This total has increased from only 6 per day only a few years ago, according to officials.
   "That’s why these wayside horns are really a quality of life issue," said Mr. Fay.
   The other process, channelization, removes the necessity of having any type of horn system on the train, or at the crossing, by making the intersection impossible to cross at all when a train is approaching.
   "Channelization prevents people from driving around the gates, which is the major cause of accidents," said Michael Gray, a Montgomery resident and activist in the train crossing cause. "There’s no horn at all because of the upgraded level of safety."
   Channelization involves putting a median barrier between the opposing travel lanes on both sides of the crossing. This prevents motorists from making S-turns around the gates in attempt to get across before the train arrives.
   Channelization is generally the cheaper of the two alternatives, especially if the original crossing doesn’t require widening.
   Besides Montgomery, other municipalities are moving ahead with their own support for the modernization of train crossings throughout Somerset County.
   Mr. Fay said that he and Mr. Gray attended a meeting with the mayor and township administrator of Manville, who are planning on adopting a resolution supporting the process.
   Manville’s resolution could come next week.
   The Montgomery Township Committee issued its own letter of support, addressed to the county, earlier this year.
   Besides channelization and wayside horns, additional work is also needed at Montgomery’s train crossing points, Mr. Fay said.
   The crossing on Route 601 near the Johnson & Johnson complex has been reported to be below federal safety standards, although that may be the case with dozens of other crossings throughout the county, township officials said.
   Mr. Gray said there were two other crossings that needed modernization, in particular devices that signaled an approaching train’s distance and speed.
   "It would be a good idea to get the crossings up to standards, especially considering the volume of traffic and how that will be affected by the Route 206 bypass," said Mr. Fay. "The crossing is also near the high school, so there are a lot of inexperienced drivers in the area."
   A meeting with the New Jersey Department of Transportation is set for Monday, where a decision on the form of the Route 206 bypass could be made.