djc47 wrote:We never complained of noise before this new construction and I have been living here for 27 years. Don't tell me where I should and should not live. How about all of the other developments around here that have sound walls? How did they attain them. I am not complaining about the railroad, but rather the noise from the men working at all hours of the day and night. How about a little consideration? The trains and us have lived together for this long without complaints.
You should have asked your developer about them while they were building this division. Other than that, you can use your association fees to petition for the wall which will most likely be constructed at the expense of your property.
As for consideration, that's on you. If you live by the tracks, you should expect you hear related noise. You've been quite lucky all of these years but maintenance and construction happens. To put it another way, if they decided due construction on your road, you'd hear noise. This has been on the drawing board for decades. It is not like they ripped out trees or took down the walls after you moved in. You had every opportunity to ask about sound walls, additional trees or any other sort of noise mitigation (planned or otherwise) when you decided to move next to a railroad and a train yard that was already present.
If you're serious, I'd get to work on your homeowners association or community board pronto! This is because what you're seeing is only the preliminary work. Wait until they start erecting the the new catenary poles and moving the tracks. Blowing of the horn while approaching and passing RWP workers is a FEDERAL requirement, no matter how fast or slow the train is operating so don't expect it to get any quieter as construction increases, particularly at night when traffic is down.
Once the station is completed, New Jersey has a state law requiring approaching trains to blow the horn passing next to the platform from basically sun up to sun down and outside of those hours, if the crew observes someone on the platform. Additionally, if there is a train standing in the station as another train approaches, it must blow approaching and passing the standing train. Now , consider the sound of the trains braking and accelerating out of the nearby, new train station and if you happen to leave near the new interlocking, prepare for bright lights at night and the clickety clack of the wheels bounding through it (although it is supposed to have high speed crossovers which aren't as loud.)
Let's not even talk about the additional traffic generated by the station. I moved from East Brunswick just because I knew that 1 and 18 are going to be pushed over the brink once this completed unless they seriously modified the area...and even that would be a nightmare. Additionally, the Jersey Ave trains are supposed to operate to this area, and use the newly constructed Mid-Loop flyover. Nothing like a new bridge and a beaming headlight coming through your window from 30+ feet in the air.
Ultimately, it is up to your specific neighborhood to start the legwork. The best you can hope for is the railroad to pick up part of the costs, but lately, the railroads have been fighting back and taking a "we were here first" stance. Check with your community board and if you don't have one, form one.
