Railroad grade-separation replaced with a level crossing?

[lepidopteran]

There are lots of locations where a railroad grade crossing was removed in favor of a new grade-separation, i.e., a n overpass or underpass.  There are also many situations where a railroad was abandoned, and the RR overpass removed or the bridge over the trackbed (eventually) leveled to grade.

But how often have you seen an instance where a road was previously grade-separated, and one day the bridge was dismantled and replaced with a new grade-crossing?  While the railroad remains active.  This could happen after there is a substantial decline in the amount of rail traffic since the bridge was built, and/or the road that crosses has less traffic due to a new highway or bypass being the favored route.

The only instance I know of is in Monroe Township, NJ.  On the NJ Turnpike, less than a quarter-mile north of Exit 8A, the pike goes over an active railroad.  Just north of there, Cranbury-South River Rd. ducks under the pike at an angle, then immediately crosses that rail line at grade on the west side of the pike. (Some of you may remember a conspicuous BASF plant at that location, one which vanished rather quickly some years ago.)  Up until the early-to-mid-80s, Cranbury-South River crossed the tracks over a narrow bridge.  I guess by the time that bridge needed replacement, there wasn't enough rail traffic to justify the grade-separation, so a level crossing was built instead.  Indeed, the rail line must have been busy at one time, as it was once electrified; the transmission lines are mostly still in place (not to be confused with the really high-voltage that parallel the tracks for a short stretch, that only appeared in the early-80's) along with some catenary structures.  The tracks themselves apparently used to be doubled as well.

Another "almost" incidence was also in NJ, this one in Robbinsville.  NJ-33 used to cross the Camden and Amboy (later Pennsy) mainline tracks via a narrow, concrete bridge, just west of where it left its concurrency with US-130.  In 2009, this bridge was leveled to grade, and the highway straightened and widened.  But because the (disused) railroad was not yet formally abandoned, a break in the new curb was supposedly left to allow for a grade-crossing on the roadway.  That never happened, though, and the railroad was officially abandoned the following year.  The tracks were cut back to a point just south of the I-195 underpass.

[Big John]

US 141/WI 29 on the outskirts of Green Bay had a narrow 2-lane overpass over a railroad track.  In the mid 1990s the road was widened and the overpass was demolished ans replaced with an at-grade crossing as railroad traffic became sparse at the time.

[Michael]

There are two in the Auburn area, and both were replacements for old through-girder bridges.  The first one was on NY 5 east of Auburn.  This was bypassed with a temporary detour in 1995 or 1996.  I would have been only 5 or 6 at the time, so I'm not 100% sure.  According to documents on the Cayuga County Real Property website, NYSDOT got easements for the detour in 1994.  I do remember seeing light through a hole in the deck at one point while it was still open.  The bridge wasn't torn down until maybe 1999 or 2000.  There's a video of the Finger Lakes Railway on YouTube from 1999 that shows a train going under the closed bridge.

The other bridge was on Clark Street just west of Auburn.  I don't remember this bridge as well, but according to documents on the real property website, NYSDOT got easements in 1993.  Based on the other bridge, I'd say this was replaced in 1994 or 1995.

EDIT: I forgot about this video from the fall of 1999 showing a fall foliage train going under the closed bridge on NY 5.  Based on the time of this video, I'd say the bridge was torn down in 2000 or maybe even 2001.

[Rick Powell]

US 141/WI 29 on the outskirts of Green Bay had a narrow 2-lane overpass over a railroad track.  In the mid 1990s the road was widened and the overpass was demolished ans replaced with an at-grade crossing as railroad traffic became sparse at the time.

One in IL also on IL 29 at Bureau Junction, IL. There was a 2 lane overpass that was converted to a level crossing on the old Rock Island main line, now operated by the Iowa Interstate. Traffic has picked up on the line to the point where I am not sure they would have allowed a level crossing today.

[cpzilliacus]

But how often have you seen an instance where a road was previously grade-separated, and one day the bridge was dismantled and replaced with a new grade-crossing?  While the railroad remains active.  This could happen after there is a substantial decline in the amount of rail traffic since the bridge was built, and/or the road that crosses has less traffic due to a new highway or bypass being the favored route.

In general, the railroads will not agree to any new crossings at-grade of their lines for reasons of safety and efficient operation of their services.  Given that this was a line that was to be abandoned (perhaps pending approval by the Surface Transportation Board), I suppose the railroad might not raise objection

[BrianP]

How about one that very well could happen in NJ. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.799104,-74.9333287,510m/data=!3m1!1e3

CR 561 has a bridge over the tracks here.  Some years ago CR 534 / Cross Keys Road was extended from US 30 across the tracks to NJ 73 with an at grade crossing.

I wonder if the CR 561 bridge will be removed when it reaches end of life.  I think it will.  CR 561 traffic now uses Walker Ave and NJ 73 to bypass Berlin.  So that bridge isn't used by much traffic anymore.  CR 561 would be rerouted if that happened.