Bergen County is home to half of the freight rail grade crossings most in need of improvement, according to an updated study of crossings in the NJTPA’s 13-county region.
Jakub Rowinski, NJTPA’s Manager of Freight Planning, presented findings of the Freight Rail Grade Crossing Assessment Update Final Report during the June 20 Freight Initiatives Committee meeting.
The study, an update to the agency’s 2008 assessment, focused on the region’s primary freight rail network, examining 65 grade crossings.
Rowinski said a lot has changed since the initial study was completed, including increases in rail traffic volume that are expected to continue in the future. Train frequency is similar but with longer trains, motor vehicle volume has increased or shifted, there’s been population growth, and an increased emphasis on equity in transportation planning.
Today, there’s also access to more data and new data collection methods. For the 2008 study, consultants spent time at locations observing activity around grade crossings and gates. This time, camera equipment was used to gather data at some locations.
The 2008 study, conducted in two phases, looked at a combined 74 crossings. Since that time, several crossings underwent improvements, which affected their ranking in the updated assessment. For instance, Cedar Avenue in Middlesex County ranked second in 2008, but twelfth in the most recent study.
Top 10 grade crossings
- Columbia Avenue, CSX River Line, Dumont, Bergen County
- West Madison Avenue, CSX River Line, Dumont, Bergen County
- Old Hook Road, CSX River Line, Closter, Bergen County
- Inman Avenue, Conrail Lehigh Line, Edison, Middlesex County
- Bergen Turnpike, CSX River Line, Ridgefield Park, Bergen County
- West Clinton Avenue, CSX River Line, Bergenfield, Bergen County
- New Market Road, Conrail Lehigh Line, Piscataway, Middlesex County
- Rahway Avenue, Conrail Lehigh Line, Westfield, Union County
- Stelton Road, Conrail Port Reading Sec, Piscataway, Middlesex County
- South Main Street, Conrail Port Reading Sec, Bound Brook, Somerset County
Each crossing includes a profile summarizing existing conditions and statistics, key issues, and potential strategies, along with images and an aerial map for context. Evaluation scorecards of each crossing included a raw score that was weighted to calculate a total score, by which each crossing was ranked.
Half of the top 10 crossings were along the CSX River Line in Bergen County, due in part to its high volume of freight rail traffic and population density, according to Chris Lamm, principal consultant with Cambridge Systematics. There’s also a lot of residential land use surrounding those crossings, with proximity to schools and a lot of pedestrian activity.
Nine key issues that came up repeatedly in the data analysis:
- Safety
- Trespassing
- Infrastructure
- Congestion
- Environment
- Community/equity
- Roadway issues
- Active transportation
- Rail operations
This study also details 17 strategies that can be used to address various freight rail issues. Two-page summaries for each strategy were developed and will be incorporated into a rail component of the NJTPA’s Goods Movement Strategies for Communities tool.
The Freight Rail Grade Crossing Assessment Update Final Report is available here. A recording of the Freight Initiatives Committee meeting, including the study presentation, is available here.