New Grade Crossings
for Dover, New Hampshire
Dover: Chestnut Street's New Crossing.
A complex confluence of roads, parking lots and the railroad in downtown Dover, New Hampshire produced both a traffic snarl and safety hazard whenever highway and rail vehicles were present in any quantity. Over the years, the aggravation and peril became so acute that the community determined that a change had to come. The State of New Hampshire, City of Dover, the Stratford County Regional Planning Commission and Guilford Rail came together in a cooperative and cost-sharing effort to redesign the Chestnut Street and Central Avenue railroad crossings so that road surface would be improved, drivers would be both better warned of trains and better able to see other vehicles as well as approaching trains, and traffic flow through these busy intersections in this active and growing city would be enhanced.
The track and roadway structures were rebuilt at these crossings using techniques and materials designed for long service life with low maintenance. The roadway was surfaced with asphalt, and rubber flangeways for the railroad wheels were installed against the rails. New signaling components provide maximum warning and protection for drivers, and new technology made possible the removal of pole lines formerly used to carry wires for the signal circuits. Two city roads were realigned to permit elimination of grade crossings which had visibility limitations. The railroad revised its operations to reduce the amount of blockage of the new crossings during switching of trains in Dover.
This project has demonstrated the great benefits in safety, traffic flow and convenience which can be produced when all involved parties within a community get together in a spirit of cooperation to plan and then implement physical improvements in the infrastructure. Guilford Rail is proud to have been a partner with the State of New Hampshire, Stratford County and the City of Dover in the reconstruction of these grade crossings.
Dover: Central Avenue Crossing Under Construction.