KEEPING THE PROJECT ON TRACK
Canadian National has an important rail line crossing North Webster Avenue in Green Bay . The railroad carries supplies needed by industries in this part of the City , industries that contribute greatly to the economic and employment base of the region .
When the City decided to improve North Webster Avenue , two railway features were affected . Both had to be addressed on a tight timeline to allow the project to continue as planned .
The first was a switch that allows rail traffic to be diverted from the main tracks to a siding track .
“ When we widened the footprint of the roadway and added the multi-use trail , we impacted that switch ,” said Troy Robillard , manager of transportation services at
Ayres ’ Green Bay office . “ The switch had to be moved . That required a lot of coordination with the railroad and not a lot of time to complete it .”
The second was the railway crossing . The tracks run between the east- and westbound lanes of Eastman Avenue , a roadway that intersects North Webster Avenue . Before the project , vehicles turning off of North Webster Avenue onto Eastman Avenue could affect traffic flow on North Webster Avenue .
“ To improve safety , we changed the intersection to allow only right-in , rightout traffic from Eastman Avenue ,” said Phil Verville , Ayres ’ lead roadway designer on the project . The concept is much like traffic leaving an interstate highway using a cloverleaf exit . “ Motorists cannot cross the median to turn left off of North
Webster Avenue ; they now go around the block to make turns .”
Before the project , the railroad crossing was marked by two cantilevered flashing signals with no gates . North Webster Avenue now has a new crossing surface and gates that close to keep traffic off the crossing when trains are present , improving the safety of the crossing .
Making changes to railway infrastructure involves coordination and cooperation among many parties .
“ The City had been working with the railroad for a long time , and that relationship helped keep the project on schedule ,” Robillard said .
– Kay Kruse-Stanton www . AyresAssociates . com 35