Oct. 16 Public Hearing on Dover-to-Rockaway Twp. Rail Crossing Elimination Proposal

Published on September 24, 2018

Morris County, in cooperation with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and the Federal Highway Administration, will host a special public information session on Tuesday, Oct. 16 regarding a proposal to eliminate several at-grade rail crossings on the Dover & Rockaway Railroad located between Dover and Rockaway Township.

The Public Information Center will be held at the Salvation Army Community Center, 76 North Bergen St, Dover, N.J. 07801. It will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with brief presentations made at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The purpose of the session is to inform residents, officials, and businesses about an NJTPA Freight Crossing Development Study that aims to identify possible elimination of rail crossings, and to get public comment on the proposal.

The overall project area is primarily located in Dover and Rockaway Borough, but includes small areas of Denville, Mine Hill, Randolph, Rockaway Township, Victory Gardens, and Wharton.

The Dover & Rockaway Railroad is an approximately six-mile long rail line that runs at grade level through the older neighborhood of mixed residential commercial and industrial uses in downtown Dover. The D&R currently connects to the NJ Transit Morristown Line at the D&R Junction west of Dover.

The D&R has 18 at-grade road crossings through Dover and Rockaway townships, including 13 in Dover and 5 in Rockaway Township. None of these crossings have gates, and many are located in close proximity to each other.

Any train movement along the D&R requires the train to stop at each crossing with railroad personnel manually flag-stopping roadway traffic to allow the train to pass.

This study aims to develop and assess potential alternatives that could allow relocation of the existing junction between the D&R and the NJ Transit Morristown Line to east of Dover. Moving this connection would allow for the elimination of non-gated crossings in downtown Dover and improve the efficiency and safety of freight rail transport on the D&R.

The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority in partnership with Morris County is conducting this study. For more information, visit: www.DoverRailStudy.org

In addition to the Oct. 16 public session, comments will be accepted in writing or via email through Friday, Nov. 20. Send them to:

Jakub Rowinski, Special Projects Manager, NJTPA, One Newark Center €” 17th Floor, Newark, N.J. 07102; Fax 973.639.1953; email to jrowinski@njtpa.org.

Scott Parker, Senior Project Manager, Jacobs Engineering, 299 Madison Ave, Morristown, N.J. 07962; Fax 973.267.3555; email to Scott.Parker@jacobs.com