Study Urges Traffic Light, Praises Safety at Rahway Avenue Rail Crossing

Earlier this month the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority was given the 2010 Transportation Planning Excellence award for its study of rail grade crossings in New Jersey, which included an analysis of Westfield's own rail grade crossing on Rahway Avenue on the border with Clark.

"Freight rail traffic is a major issue in New Jersey," Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, the chairman of the NJTPA's Freight Initiatives Committee said in a press release. "The study results will help us strike a balance between essential economic activity and impact on communities."

The study looked at 64 rail grade crossings, identifying potential problems and possible solutions. In its analysis of Westfield, the report mentioned noise as a "key concern," though it's much less relevant since the implementation of the quiet zone.

Yet Councilman Keith Loughlin said that it could still be improved.

"Hopefully the occasional train whistle will be eliminated," Loughlin said. "They still occur, but very infrequently. Through further education, hopefully it will cease entirely."

In addition to the problem of noise, the report also noted the potential for "back-ups from traffic waiting to turn left onto Lamberts Mill Road" and suggested that an instillation of a traffic light at the intersection might be helpful. The Town Council has been urging the county to install a traffic light at the intersection for a number of years. The intersection is frequented by Westfield and Scotch Plains residents headed towards the Garden State Parkway in Clark, along with users of St. Helen's Church, Houlihan/Sid Fay Fields and Tamaques Park.

While the report pointed out these and other slightly minor issues, it also indicated that Rahway's safety record was quite good.

Between 1997 and 2007, there was only a single injury.

To read the rest of the report go here.