Annoying Rail Crossings that need to be grade separated

[roadman65]

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.

[jeffandnicole]

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.

[1995hoo]

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.

[golden eagle]

State Street on the edge of downtown Jackson.

[cpzilliacus]

Randolph Road at the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision tracks 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.

[cpzilliacus]

US-29 in Gainesville, Virginia. The highway overpass is under construction now.

Not a minute too soon!

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.

[1995hoo]

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.

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.

[agentsteel53]

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.

[vdeane]

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.

[mgk920]

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

[cpzilliacus]

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 ("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?v=iV9gJSiSw0c&NR=1&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSvOfgdW4Xk

[Brian556]

FM 426 (McKinney St) in Denton, Tx. Busy street. Busy track. Causes too much delay.

[deathtopumpkins]

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 ("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?v=iV9gJSiSw0c&NR=1&feature=endscreen
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.

[Brandon]

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

[Alps]

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.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

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. 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.

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.

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.

[Mark68]

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.

[DandyDan]

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.   

[Road Hog]

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).

[NE2]

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.

[bugo]

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.

[apjung]

US 90 near Jeanerette, LA
http://goo.gl/maps/1vRaR

[roadman65]

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.

[cjk374]

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.

[swbrotha100]

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.