We all cross many rail lines in our time. I praise the fact that some of you do not have to cross railroad tracks in your everyday lives, but at times we have had to cross some of these whether heavily or hardly used by rail traffic. Name some locations of at grade facilities that you would like to see replaced that you think are either problems or outlived their use.
In Orlando we have two on Orange Avenue. Only one, though, could be replaced properly. The other is near a freeway overpass that makes building a bridge over the rail line require it to be over 30 feet in height and long approaches to reach the structure along with sprawl along the ROW. Of course, Florida is flat with a water table so going below grade is totally out.
The ones that hold up traffic quite frequently are where CSX has its spur tracks into a TV yard in Taft that have trains stop indefinetley while rail cars are being switched around in the yard. I would like to see both of these go, despite the challenge of eliminating one of the problem one.
Name some in your neighborhood that you would love to see replaced.
Quote from: roadman65 on January 11, 2013, 08:15:11 AM
We all cross many rail lines in our time. I praise the fact that some of you do not have to cross railroad tracks in your everyday lives, but at times we have had to cross some of these whether heavily or hardly used by rail traffic. Name some locations of at grade facilities that you would like to see replaced that you think are either problems or outlived their use.
In Orlando we have two on Orange Avenue. Only one, though, could be replaced properly. The other is near a freeway overpass that makes building a bridge over the rail line require it to be over 30 feet in height and long approaches to reach the structure along with sprawl along the ROW. Of course, Florida is flat with a water table so going below grade is totally out.
The ones that hold up traffic quite frequently are where CSX has its spur tracks into a TV yard in Taft that have trains stop indefinetley while rail cars are being switched around in the yard. I would like to see both of these go, despite the challenge of eliminating one of the problem one.
Name some in your neighborhood that you would love to see replaced.
The only ones that I would absolutely want to see replaced are those that are already grade-separated, but not to modern standards.
One example is US 130 in Brooklawn, NJ...a route used by a fair amount of trucks, but the clearance is only 13'-0". The fuel tankers that use the road have no problem getting underneath. But there's a fair amount of full-size trailers that approach it realizing they won't be able to fit underneath.
The other problem is that the area tends to flood during heavy rains and even during some astronomical high tides due to the nearby inlets to the Delaware River. So not only does the roadway need to be raised to help deal with that, the railroad overpass would need to be raised that much higher to allow for the raised roadway.
US-29 in Gainesville, Virginia. The highway overpass is under construction now.
A semi-related grade crossing is on US-15 in Haymarket, Virginia, the next exit off I-66. It's premature to say that one should be grade-separated until we see how the Gainesville project affects traffic. Right now a lot of people go around via Haymarket to avoid congestion in Gainesville, but if the project substantially improves things that may not be the case in the future.
I can think of a few at-grade crossings that need the approaches adjusted to create less sharp of a bump (especially because of trucks and trailers scraping the pavement) but are otherwise fine.
State Street on the edge of downtown Jackson.
Randolph Road at the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision tracks (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.053318,-77.110444&hl=en&num=1&t=h&gl=us&z=16) in unincorporated Rockville, Maryland. Scene of more than a few fatal crashes over the years.
Current plan is to extend the Montrose Parkway (see the green swath of undeveloped land just north of the grade crossing) east from its current terminus, and then close-off the Randolph Road crossing, though as is the case with many transportation projects in Maryland, there is no funding for this right now.
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 11, 2013, 09:14:10 AM
US-29 in Gainesville, Virginia. The highway overpass is under construction now.
Not a minute too soon!
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 11, 2013, 09:14:10 AM
A semi-related grade crossing is on US-15 in Haymarket, Virginia, the next exit off I-66. It's premature to say that one should be grade-separated until we see how the Gainesville project affects traffic. Right now a lot of people go around via Haymarket to avoid congestion in Gainesville, but if the project substantially improves things that may not be the case in the future.
I would love to see that one removed as well. I think the current traffic volumes on U.S. 15 might justify it.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 11, 2013, 10:23:37 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 11, 2013, 09:14:10 AM
US-29 in Gainesville, Virginia. The highway overpass is under construction now.
Not a minute too soon!
I might argue it's about 25 years overdue. Would have been good to do it in the late 1980s as development started pushing out towards Warrenton.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 11, 2013, 10:23:37 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 11, 2013, 09:14:10 AM
A semi-related grade crossing is on US-15 in Haymarket, Virginia, the next exit off I-66. It's premature to say that one should be grade-separated until we see how the Gainesville project affects traffic. Right now a lot of people go around via Haymarket to avoid congestion in Gainesville, but if the project substantially improves things that may not be the case in the future.
I would love to see that one removed as well. I think the current traffic volumes on U.S. 15 might justify it.
Well, that's kind of part of my point–the current traffic volumes include a rather heavy amount of bailout traffic avoiding Gainesville, perhaps even more so in the past few years since the construction has been underway. I suspect Haymarket might see an overall traffic decrease if/when the construction resumes on I-66 to widen it from Gainesville out to Haymarket, too. But either way, the Haymarket crossing ought to be easier to replace than the Gainesville one because there's less development surrounding it. They might have to relocate the stormwater management pond located next to the sports facility on VA-55, but on the whole that's relatively minor. That Gainesville crossing was in about one of the worst possible locations from a traffic-management standpoint, especially with the driveway for the 7-11 being located DIRECTLY adjacent to the crossing.
I believe AZ-85 (future freeway, I believe) has one. I think the speed limit is 45 or 50 leading up to it, but anyone going over 30 in a low-clearance car stands to receive a nasty surprise.
I think I'll put the one on NY 49 on the Utica-Rome expressway, since it's the only thing preventing it from becoming I-790.
There are not that many here in Wisconsin that I can think of offhand, other than for the two on US 151 (Beaver Dam and Waupun). WisDOT is addressing both in pending long-term freeway upgrade plans for the highway.
Elsewhere, I would do grade separations at the CN mainline/Pioneer Rd in Fond du Lac; CN's Green Bay line/Outagamie County 'JJ', right by County 'JJ's intersection with WI 96 along side of US/I-41 between Kaukauna and Wrightstown and at CN's Green Bay line/Prospect Ave just east of US/I-41 in Appleton.
Mike
Though if you want a terrifying railroad grade crossing, there's one in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec that needs to be fixed.
It crosses A-20/TCH (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.642308,-72.969745&hl=en&num=1&t=h&gl=us&z=17) ("A" stands for Autoroute, which is supposed to be an access-controlled highway).
There are several videos of trains using this crossing on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=OWZjWQqVW-Y&NR=1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=OWZjWQqVW-Y&NR=1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV9gJSiSw0c&NR=1&feature=endscreen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV9gJSiSw0c&NR=1&feature=endscreen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSvOfgdW4Xk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSvOfgdW4Xk)
FM 426 (McKinney St) in Denton, Tx. Busy street. Busy track. Causes too much delay.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 11, 2013, 01:22:09 PM
Though if you want a terrifying railroad grade crossing, there's one in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec that needs to be fixed.
It crosses A-20/TCH (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.642308,-72.969745&hl=en&num=1&t=h&gl=us&z=17) ("A" stands for Autoroute, which is supposed to be an access-controlled highway).
There are several videos of trains using this crossing on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=OWZjWQqVW-Y&NR=1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=OWZjWQqVW-Y&NR=1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV9gJSiSw0c&NR=1&feature=endscreen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV9gJSiSw0c&NR=1&feature=endscreen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSvOfgdW4Xk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSvOfgdW4Xk)
It genuinely surprises me that that one is even actually in use! There's not even a gate! It looks like in the videos several cars cut across after cars in the lane next to them have already stopped, and cars will start going again before the last car's even off the pavement.
This being Illinois, King of Grade Crossings, I can name several. Chicagoland (Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties) has a shit-ton of grade crossings that provide constant consternation for commuters on a daily basis. Other than the expressways and tollways, there are very few numbered routes and county highways that do not have at least one grade crossing along their route. Some of the most annoying are those at oblique angles to the road or street, especially near traffic signals.
Here's just a few of the more interesting ones:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.926027,-87.818482&spn=0.001036,0.002642&t=h&z=19
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.963068,-87.976504&spn=0.00207,0.005284&t=h&z=18
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.655493,-87.67655&spn=0.001471,0.002642&t=h&z=19
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.80505,-87.858932&spn=0.002075,0.005284&t=h&z=18
They deactivated the #1 problem near me and since removed, US 46 in Totowa, but it was active when I was a kid. Not sure I ever saw the gates down, though. 2nd place: US 202/Alt CR 511 leaving NJ 23 to the west in Mountain View. The RR is elevated a few feet above the flood plain, but the rest of the town sits in it. The problem with digging 202 under the RR is that it would never be passable thanks to the Passaic and Pompton Rivers, but the problem otherwise is that 202 jumps up about 8 feet to get across and then right back down the other side. You will lose count trying to account for all of the pavement marks from cars going too fast. The RR should really be raised another 8 feet and keep 202 at ground level.
Two of the most notorious crossings in Northwest Indiana have already been addressed. The CSX crossing on Industrial Highway near Cline Avenue in East Chicago is already being worked on (in an effort to help future Gary-Chicago Airport traffic), and that same set of tracks over Railroad Avenue nearby has been alleviated with a bridge.
However, there are still quite a few. For example, Broad Street in Griffith has multiple Canadian National rail lines joining at one specific point, with a seven-track at-grade crossing (map seen here. (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Griffith,+IN&hl=en&ll=41.520186,-87.427732&spn=0.00163,0.002411&sll=41.514411,-87.268785&sspn=0.147562,0.308647&oq=Griffith&t=h&hnear=Griffith,+Lake,+Indiana&z=19) I do not know how current this map is because I am unaware of any work being done to address this issue.).
Another one is a major choke point at Calumet Avenue and 45th Street in Munster (which coincidentally involves one of the same sets of tracks in the Griffith example). The track cuts through two major intersections and can cause massive delays during the worst times of the day (i.e. rush hour). What's not-so-funny about this is that they are aware of the situation and have proposed a grade separation plan to solve this problem, but nothing has come to fruition. See the map and the affected intersections here. (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Munster,+IN&hl=en&ll=41.54094,-87.509124&spn=0.003259,0.004823&sll=41.520186,-87.427732&sspn=0.00163,0.002411&t=h&hnear=Munster,+Lake,+Indiana&z=18)
Though nothing can really be done about this one, locals in Chesterton are usually cut off by this Norfolk Southern track set. In my days of train spotting, I have seen five trains go through the Calumet Road crossing in the course of 20 minutes. Bad part is, the neighboring streets are just as affected. Depending on where you are going, it's damn near requisite to use mainline Indiana 49 to cross over the tracks to reach your destination. The crossing in question can be seen here. (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chesterton,+IN&hl=en&ll=41.611155,-87.052343&spn=0.001151,0.002411&sll=41.54094,-87.509124&sspn=0.003259,0.004823&oq=Chest&t=h&hnear=Chesterton,+Porter,+Indiana&z=19)
These same set of tracks (along with the South Shore Line) wreak havoc on County Line Road...especially during the summer, when beach traffic can be cut off by the freighters. While grade separation is out of the question, the high number of fatal accidents at these crossings caused INDOT to build delineators at the crossings, but it is still a nightmare, seen here. (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Ogden+Dunes,+IN&hl=en&ll=41.61009,-87.222492&spn=0.000814,0.001206&sll=41.611273,-87.052472&sspn=0.001151,0.002411&oq=Ogden+,+IN&t=h&hnear=Ogden+Dunes,+Porter,+Indiana&z=20)
I believe the one on US 395 just north of CA 58 in Kramer Junction is going to be grade separated as part of the upgrade of 58 to freeway standards. I hope so, because there are some lengthy trains that cross highway there.
The only one I can think of offhand in Nebraska that's on the highway system is US 75 south of Dawson. I'm frankly surprised they haven't built some sort of bypass for Dawson, as you have to slow down for the town, then it seems like I always hit that railroad crossing when a train is going through, no matter what time it is. Within the city of Omaha, the only bad one is 48th Street between Q and Harrison.
I believe every town bisected by railroad tracks needs at least one railroad overpass. Not so much for traffic as for access for emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance, EMT, etc).
Somewhere I've seen a grade crossing that carries a state highway, while an adjacent overpass, easily accessed on both ends, does not. It may have been in Texas.
Any of the railroad crossings in Mena, AR. There are 6 at grade crossings and no overpasses. Also, the US 59/270 railroad crossing at Acorn needs to at least be smoothed out if not turned into a grade separation.
US 90 near Jeanerette, LA
http://goo.gl/maps/1vRaR
Quote from: Road Hog on January 12, 2013, 12:51:02 AM
I believe every town bisected by railroad tracks needs at least one railroad overpass. Not so much for traffic as for access for emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance, EMT, etc).
In Orlando we have ORMC that has a rail line near it and stands between it and Interstate 4, Orlando's Main Street as you would say or main road period. Near the hospital there are many businesses that rely on the rail and have frequent rail cars moved around to access the businesses commerce. That holds up traffic because there are frequent slow back and forth and stop movements.
Quote from: Road Hog on January 12, 2013, 12:51:02 AM
I believe every town bisected by railroad tracks needs at least one railroad overpass. Not so much for traffic as for access for emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance, EMT, etc).
As a locomotive engineer, I totally agree w/you. I get scared if I even hear sirens anywhere near my tracks, because my train's speed limit is only 10 M.P.H.!
Louisiana ranks in the top 5 states for grade crossing collisions/injuries/deaths. Anywhere a grade crossing can be removed the state is all for it. I know of a 7-mile stretch of my mainline that could be free of grade crossings (7 crossings total) if the state would build an overpass for LA 9 north of Athens, LA & if the Claiborne Parish police jury would spend money re-routing a couple of parish roads & building 3 "culvert-pipe" overpasses on other roads.
But a 10-mph shortline railroad that only runs 1 train per day 5 days a week isn't going to be heard as loud as a faster speed multi-train/day class-1 corporation.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 11, 2013, 11:42:57 AM
I believe AZ-85 (future freeway, I believe) has one. I think the speed limit is 45 or 50 leading up to it, but anyone going over 30 in a low-clearance car stands to receive a nasty surprise.
The only RR crossing I can think of on AZ 85 is in Buckeye, between MC 85 and Baseline Rd (about 4 miles south of I-10). If/when this section becomes a freeway, the current roads here will become future frontage roads.
I-10 in the Tucson area (mostly NW of Tucson to Casa Grande) has the Union Pacific Railroad running parallel to the freeway . ADOT has long term plans are to widen I-10, and in many cases build new bridges for the cross streets to go over the RR tracks and over the freeway. Right now most of the major streets that cross the freeway have at-grade RR crossings.
There are a couple that come to mind in the Chicagoland area.
US 34 (Ogden Ave) in Aurora. Rough crossing and with the future railroad line being used by Metra, needs to be an overpass.
IL 126 (Main St) in Plainfield. Rough crossing with a close proximatey to a signal with Route 59.
Either Main St in Downers Grove, Fairview Ave in Downers Grove or Cass Ave in Westmont. There currently are no over/underpasses between Belmont Rd in Downers Grove and Route 83 in Clarendon Hills. That is a stretch of roughly 7 miles with all 3 of the streets mentioned being very heavily used in rush hours. The rail line itself is used by both Metra and Burlington Northern/Santa Fe freights.
IL 38 (Roosevelt Rd/State St) in West Chicago/Geneva. Route 38 is a 4 lane divided highway with speed limits of 55 at the crossing. The crossing is just west of a rail yard in West Chicago so those freights along with Metra trains cause frequent backups of up to 15 minutes at a time. It is also quite difficult to "get around" the crossing using a different route due to DuPage Airport and numerous industrial parks near the crossing.
Many of those in the UK, especially the ones on the line between Waterloo and Reading - doubly especially those east of Richmond.
We have crossings that are closed 45 minutes of the hour as they have so many trains passing. And these are on major road routes.
Mcdowell Road Between 19th Avenue/Grand Avenue and 25th Avenue Phoenix, AZ
35th Avenue at Grand Avenue Phoenix, AZ (High number of Car/Train collisions)
Bethany Home Road at Grand Avenue Glendale, AZ
59th Avenue/Glendale Avenue Intersection Glendale, AZ (Tracks run diag thru intersection)
Quote from: hobsini2 on January 12, 2013, 04:52:52 PM
IL 38 (Roosevelt Rd/State St) in West Chicago/Geneva. Route 38 is a 4 lane divided highway with speed limits of 55 at the crossing. The crossing is just west of a rail yard in West Chicago so those freights along with Metra trains cause frequent backups of up to 15 minutes at a time. It is also quite difficult to "get around" the crossing using a different route due to DuPage Airport and numerous industrial parks near the crossing.
Plans to fix this one were announced back in October.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121003/news/710039824/
Roosevelt Road will shift slightly to the south and be elevated over the tracks. Kautz Road will be extended south onto the same elevated structure to meet at a T-intersection.
More:
IL-59 in Bartlett, south of Stearns Road and north of Army Trail Road.
County Farm Road in Hanover Park, between Schick Road and Army Trail Road.
Gary Avenue just south of Army Trail Road, and Army Trail Road just west of Gary Avenue. This one gets the pleasure of slow moving freight trains blocking TWO major roads at the same time.
In Bend, Reed Mkt Rd. and Revere Ave. could really use it. I've also been stopped at Portland/Olney Ave. and Wilson Ave., but those can survive (even though going back to school after lunch break from Taco Bell being stopped by a train on Portland/Olney is the worst :P Twice...). Also, US-97 near La Pine.
Any remaining crossings of the Main Line of the Long Island Railroad in Nassau & Western Suffolk Counties. Actually there are lots of LIRR crossings that should be eliminated.
I also think most of the ones in Tampa and Pinellas County, Florida should be removed too, and yes, replaced with bridges.
I've been calling this one for years. As far as I know, nobody is ever going to fix it :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
http://goo.gl/maps/z5ziI
A-20 in Saint-Hyacinthe, QC.
Reason: It crosses an urban freeway, dammit!
OH 4 just north of Attica, crosses CSX tracks at Siam, and then NS tracks just a bit north of there. I don't know if there's a pressing safety problem here, but there is moderate traffic on both railroads as well as the highway, and these crossings certainly qualify as annoying.
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on January 13, 2013, 02:40:17 AM
A-20 in Saint-Hyacinthe, QC.
Reason: It crosses an urban freeway, dammit!
Agreed. Already mentioned upthread.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8458.msg196328#msg196328 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8458.msg196328#msg196328)
Quote from: Molandfreak on January 13, 2013, 01:55:37 AM
I've been calling this one for years. As far as I know, nobody is ever going to fix it :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
http://goo.gl/maps/z5ziI
I see signs saying "Exempt" there. Are those signs wrong?
:paranoid:
Quote from: D-Dey65 on January 13, 2013, 08:54:49 AM
Quote from: Molandfreak on January 13, 2013, 01:55:37 AM
I've been calling this one for years. As far as I know, nobody is ever going to fix it :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
http://goo.gl/maps/z5ziI
I see signs saying "Exempt" there. Are those signs wrong?
:paranoid:
They were possibly correct when the google street view photos were taken, but since then the railroad has used that track about once a month east of Randolph!
If it's an exempt crossing with maybe one train a month, I don't see the problem.
Living in south Florida, there are many east-west (a few north-south diagonals), 6- and 8-lane roads that intersect with two sets of Florida East Coast railway tracks in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Double gates, high medians, flashing lights, nothing stops some moron from being killed at a railroad crossing, and in south Florida, idiot drivers are a dime-a-dozen. :pan:
The cost of building huge multi-lane overpasses to avoid the tracks would be in the billions of dollars.
Exempt deos not nessessarily mean out of service. Some crossings that are in use are exempt for functional reasons, espacially those that pass diagonally hrough signalized intersections.
It does appear that the crossing in the GSV image is out of service. I don't think a train could fit under that broken cantilever.
Illinois
* IL 137 at the UP line next to US 41
* MLK Jr Drive at the UP line next to US 41
* Westleigh Road at the UP line next to US 41
* Old Elm Road at the UP line next to US 41
These aren't annoying from the amount of trains. The first two are annoying due to the extra signal time MLK and IL 137 seem to get due to the need to keep the crossing clear. The latter two are annoying that when there is a train, they get a lot of time for the track clearance phase, and if the train is traveling at the right speed, one can spend a while waiting at both stoplights on US 41.
Hammond Ave near the north end of Superior, WI. Busy road, and lots of long, slow trains leaving the depot at the west end of town.
Quote from: Mark68 on January 11, 2013, 11:51:09 PM
I believe the one on US 395 just north of CA 58 in Kramer Junction is going to be grade separated as part of the upgrade of 58 to freeway standards. I hope so, because there are some lengthy trains that cross highway there.
The same rail line crosses CA-58 west of Kramer Junction/US 395 and it has got to go. Besides having really long trains which can result in really lengthy delays on CA-58, the highway has a significant kink (http://www.google.com/maps?ll=34.995726,-117.587807&spn=0.009685,0.013797&t=h&z=16) in it where it crosses the railroad. Couple that with traffic moving at 65+ MPH (the freeway portion of CA-58 ends about a 2 1/2 miles to the west), negotiating that kink can be pretty hairy.
Quote from: vtk on January 13, 2013, 11:15:29 AM
If it's an exempt crossing with maybe one train a month, I don't see the problem.
It's a lot better than it used to be, too. Now it at least has a gate :nod:
The exempt signs were removed a while back, gates were added, as well as truck stopping lanes.
Quote from: hobsini2 on January 12, 2013, 04:52:52 PM
There are a couple that come to mind in the Chicagoland area.
What do you think about LaGrange Rd at the BNSF line?
Quote from: mapman1071 on January 12, 2013, 08:45:36 PM
Mcdowell Road Between 19th Avenue/Grand Avenue and 25th Avenue Phoenix, AZ
35th Avenue at Grand Avenue Phoenix, AZ (High number of Car/Train collisions)
Bethany Home Road at Grand Avenue Glendale, AZ
59th Avenue/Glendale Avenue Intersection Glendale, AZ (Tracks run diag thru intersection)
Add Bell Road at Grand Avenue to the list.
Off-topic, but an oddity: http://goo.gl/maps/X7WQ0 :sombrero:
Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2013, 10:53:52 AM
Quote from: hobsini2 on January 12, 2013, 04:52:52 PM
There are a couple that come to mind in the Chicagoland area.
What do you think about LaGrange Rd at the BNSF line?
Hell, you could fill this thread with examples from the Chicago area easily.
Quote from: hm insulators on January 24, 2013, 04:11:23 PM
Quote from: mapman1071 on January 12, 2013, 08:45:36 PM
Mcdowell Road Between 19th Avenue/Grand Avenue and 25th Avenue Phoenix, AZ
35th Avenue at Grand Avenue Phoenix, AZ (High number of Car/Train collisions)
Bethany Home Road at Grand Avenue Glendale, AZ
59th Avenue/Glendale Avenue Intersection Glendale, AZ (Tracks run diag thru intersection)
Add Bell Road at Grand Avenue to the list.
Bell Road Overpass At Grand Avenue Is Going to Be a diamond or SPUI TI with ramps from Bell Road Overpass to Grand Avenue (WB off and EB on ramps will cross the tracks) this is in the final stages of planning and will start construction in late 2013 and take 15 months to complete.
Quote from: Molandfreak on January 24, 2013, 04:27:09 PM
Off-topic, but an oddity: http://goo.gl/maps/X7WQ0 :sombrero:
Jack, did you remember to subcontract someone taking down the crossing lights? :biggrin:
The US-31 railroad crossings in Manistee http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=44.259523,-86.313422&spn=0.008713,0.021136&t=h&z=16
And there's no easy way to fix these. Throw in a drawbridge a few blocks south of the southern crossing and you're in for a doozy (at least there can't be a train and a boat going through at the same time, as the train bridge across the river is a swing bridge). Also, these two at-grade railroad crossings are two of only four left on US-31 in Michigan (the other two are on the Holland Bypass)
Quote from: Stratuscaster on January 12, 2013, 09:44:37 PM
More:
IL-59 in Bartlett, south of Stearns Road and north of Army Trail Road.
County Farm Road in Hanover Park, between Schick Road and Army Trail Road.
Gary Avenue just south of Army Trail Road, and Army Trail Road just west of Gary Avenue. This one gets the pleasure of slow moving freight trains blocking TWO major roads at the same time.
IIRC, those are all on the same rail line as the one on North Avenue (IL 64) in Addison.
Quote from: ftballfan on January 25, 2013, 01:55:39 PM
(at least there can't be a train and a boat going through at the same time, as the train bridge across the river is a swing bridge)
Great, so you can get stuck waiting for a boat,
then get stuck waiting for a train that was also waiting for the boat.
Richey Road in north Harris County between the Hardy Toll Road and East Hardy Street:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Harris+County,+TX&hl=en&ll=29.996031,-95.394319&spn=0.002946,0.013078&sll=29.77749,-95.310516&sspn=0.833172,1.674042&gl=us&hnear=Harris,+Texas&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=29.996032,-95.396367&panoid=3X9z17rfddDHxai71dtS4Q&cbp=11,32.77,,0,-0.43
There were plans to rebuild this area with Richey Road going over East Hardy, the railroad and Hardy Toll Road. A connector road was also planned to connect East Hardy with Richey. Sadly, those plans never reached beyond the drawing board. :no:
Quote from: Brandon on January 24, 2013, 05:08:17 PM
Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2013, 10:53:52 AM
Quote from: hobsini2 on January 12, 2013, 04:52:52 PM
There are a couple that come to mind in the Chicagoland area.
What do you think about LaGrange Rd at the BNSF line?
Hell, you could fill this thread with examples from the Chicago area easily.
La Grange Rd at the BNSF would certainly qualify as does several others in the other Downtown areas like that.
Main St Downers Grove, Cass Ave Westmont, Garfield St Hinsdale, Wolf Rd Western Springs, Maple Ave Brookfield, Main St Wheaton, Main St Glen Ellyn, St Charles Rd/Grace St Lombard, York Rd Elmhurst, Highland Ave Elgin, Kimball St Elgin, Irving Park Rd/Wood Dale Rd Wood Dale.
The list goes on and on and on.
You know I was traveling FL 112 near Miami Airport. The section where the carriageways are reversed has an at grade rail crossing that EB FL 112 again crosses above grade. Sort of an over and at set up, you could say. Anyway, would you know a freight train came by, and not only was it long, but it was traveling slowly as well.
I do not know how that was allowed on a freeway extension built in 1990, but it is the main route (other than FL 836) to access the busy airport. Because of this, you need to allow more time for the train in addition to long TSA lines leading to the gates, and you figure that would have been taken into consideration.
I am guessing it has to do with the runways of Miami International Airport, as this grade crossing is located near the end of them. Of course, in Florida you cannot dig an underpass without water rising into it due to its low water table, so raising the FL 112 would be the option here where I think it would force airplanes to fly higher and have a shorter runway span. I do not know, but nonetheless a bad place for a crossing.
This crossing should be eliminated but it would take an epic rerouting of traffic for it to happen. This is on VA 147 (Huguenot Road) in Chesterfield County, VA. The RR crossing goes right through a major intersection.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Midlothian,+VA&hl=en&ll=37.52198,-77.61205&spn=0.004501,0.009645&sll=41.117935,-77.604698&sspn=4.377622,9.876709&t=h&hnear=Midlothian,+Chesterfield,+Virginia&z=17&layer=c&cbll=37.52198,-77.61205&panoid=R_JxBA7eczQRefsbKi2vOw&cbp=12,50.6,,0,1.6
Quote from: MASTERNC on January 27, 2013, 08:48:36 PM
This crossing should be eliminated but it would take an epic rerouting of traffic for it to happen. This is on VA 147 (Huguenot Road) in Chesterfield County, VA. The RR crossing goes right through a major intersection.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Midlothian,+VA&hl=en&ll=37.52198,-77.61205&spn=0.004501,0.009645&sll=41.117935,-77.604698&sspn=4.377622,9.876709&t=h&hnear=Midlothian,+Chesterfield,+Virginia&z=17&layer=c&cbll=37.52198,-77.61205&panoid=R_JxBA7eczQRefsbKi2vOw&cbp=12,50.6,,0,1.6
Here (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.73227,-75.248513&hl=en&ll=38.732161,-75.249025&spn=0.00117,0.002411&num=1&t=h&gl=us&z=19) is a similar crossing (albeit with much lower traffic volumes most of the time) on U.S. 9/Del. 404 at Cool Springs Road in Milton (about 6 or 7 miles west of Lewes).
Quote from: Molandfreak on January 24, 2013, 04:27:09 PM
Off-topic, but an oddity: http://goo.gl/maps/X7WQ0 :sombrero:
Is this being kept for nostalgic purposes or something like that? It reminds me of the crossing gates in New Port Richey, Florida that were put up despite the fact that the Seaboard Air Line left that city in World War II.
:confused:
The NJ approach to the burlington bristol bridge has a traffic circle bisected by the riverline train, not much you can do about it without redoing the bridge approach and toll booth arrangement.
http://goo.gl/maps/Sr9O7
I went to NIU in DeKalb, Illinois. Downtown, where IL-38 and IL-23 intersect, the Union Pacific tracks run diagonally through that intersection. Bottlenecks are guaranteed at least every hour.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lincoln+Highway+%26+4th+Street+DeKalb+Illinois&hl=en&ll=41.929573,-88.74912&spn=0.00243,0.003449&sll=41.929781,-88.750112&sspn=0.004893,0.010986&t=h&hnear=S+4th+St+%26+E+Lincoln+Hwy,+DeKalb,+Illinois+60115&z=18
The very busy EJE line crosses IL-120 - adjacent to its intersection with IL-83 - in Grayslake. There are very few ways around this line, which carries very heavy rail traffic. You can easily be stuck at this crossing for 15 to 20 minutes! This has the effect of literally cutting Lake County in half for much of the time. It's a traffic management nightmare that impacts anyone who lives on one side of the tracks and commutes to the other.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=IL+route+120+grayslake,+il&hl=en&ll=42.336572,-88.0318&spn=0.002847,0.004801&sll=42.339034,-88.049602&sspn=0.18221,0.307274&t=h&hnear=Illinois+120,+Grayslake,+Lake,+Illinois&z=18 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=IL+route+120+grayslake,+il&hl=en&ll=42.336572,-88.0318&spn=0.002847,0.004801&sll=42.339034,-88.049602&sspn=0.18221,0.307274&t=h&hnear=Illinois+120,+Grayslake,+Lake,+Illinois&z=18)
Quote from: StogieGuy7 on February 04, 2013, 05:14:29 PM
The very busy EJE line crosses IL-120 - adjacent to its intersection with IL-83 - in Grayslake. There are very few ways around this line, which carries very heavy rail traffic. You can easily be stuck at this crossing for 15 to 20 minutes! This has the effect of literally cutting Lake County in half for much of the time. It's a traffic management nightmare that impacts anyone who lives on one side of the tracks and commutes to the other.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=IL+route+120+grayslake,+il&hl=en&ll=42.336572,-88.0318&spn=0.002847,0.004801&sll=42.339034,-88.049602&sspn=0.18221,0.307274&t=h&hnear=Illinois+120,+Grayslake,+Lake,+Illinois&z=18 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=IL+route+120+grayslake,+il&hl=en&ll=42.336572,-88.0318&spn=0.002847,0.004801&sll=42.339034,-88.049602&sspn=0.18221,0.307274&t=h&hnear=Illinois+120,+Grayslake,+Lake,+Illinois&z=18)
That's actually Canadian National's ex Wisconsin Central, nee SOO LINE Chicago-western Canada mainline, also a popular METRA commuter route.
Anyways, with events going on elsewhere, such as the non-construction of the 'Keystone' pipeline, look for rail traffic on that line to continue to mushroom (that line also passes through my home metro). CN has been getting very aggressive about growing their business over the past couple of years, too.
Mike
Quote from: SteveG1988 on February 04, 2013, 09:53:01 AM
The NJ approach to the burlington bristol bridge has a traffic circle bisected by the riverline train, not much you can do about it without redoing the bridge approach and toll booth arrangement.
http://goo.gl/maps/Sr9O7
That's kind of odd, and from what I've read of the history of the River Line, this pre-dates the existence of New Jersey Transit. I wouldn't be surprised if it pre-dated the Pennsylvania Railroad's annexation of the Camden & Amboy Railroad.
OT, what's with the freaky at-grade interchanges with US 13 on the opposite side of the Delaware River?
Quote from: D-Dey65 on February 02, 2013, 08:06:20 AM
Quote from: Molandfreak on January 24, 2013, 04:27:09 PM
Off-topic, but an oddity: http://goo.gl/maps/X7WQ0 :sombrero:
Is this being kept for nostalgic purposes or something like that? It reminds me of the crossing gates in New Port Richey, Florida that were put up despite the fact that the Seaboard Air Line left that city in World War II.
:confused:
Seems a bit odd to me, but I'll roll with the idea :)
Sorry for bringing back up this month-old thread, but there's two railroad crossings in Woodhaven, MI, specifically Allen and Van Horn Roads, that both cross the same Canadian National (ex-Grand Trunk, nee Detroit, Toledo & Ironton's mainline) line that have to be grade-separated four two reasons:
- ...the largest retail center in the city is located just a mile to the north and...
- ...and since they're both very close to a massive yard and a rail junction in between the crossings, there's a lot of freight traffic in and out of that yard throughout much of the day moving at a speed that could get you stuck for just over a half hour in very rare cases, so much so that it literally slices Woodhaven in half for at least half of the day! :pan:
Also, both crossings block major routes for ambulances heading for Southshore Hospital in neighboring Trenton, which is the only Level 1 trauma center in the entire Downriver region, could you imagine someone pronounced dead because that ambulance had to wait 25 minutes for a freight train to clear? In fact, a couple years back there was even a derailment at one of those crossings! What I've just described was talked about several times in the local newspaper (the News-Herald).
http://goo.gl/maps/d6uNx (http://goo.gl/maps/d6uNx) and http://goo.gl/maps/ipXn3 (http://goo.gl/maps/ipXn3)
Yeah, Chicagoland has a ton of these, but I have two I'd like to add:
1. Western Avenue/Dixie Highway, south of 139th Street. Many long trains, slow moving, and will cost you a lot of time. Worse yet, there are two crossings about a half mile apart, and it's possible to get trapped in between them, with no outlet to go around it.
2. 87th and Pulaski. This is a Metra track and trains are short and they quickly go through. The problem is that it goes diagonally right through the middle of the intersection. To me, it's kind of scary to have to stop on the tracks to make a left turn.