Angry protests erase the 'Richland Bump' 5/9/05

Remember the "Richland Bump?" If all goes according to plan, the Richland Village -- including a park, restaurants, a model train display and a proposed rail line into Cape May County -- could become a future tourist attraction for those traveling through Buena Vista Township along Route 40.

This is a far cry from 25 years ago when Richland, or, at least the Route 40 railroad crossing there, was described as "one of South Jersey's major tourist detractions" by the Vineland Times Journal.

Nicknamed "Richland Bump," the west side of the crossing sat nearly two-feet higher than the east side. Between were four iron rails threatening to wreak havoc on the underside of any car not slowing to a crawl.

Drivers approaching from the west any faster than 15 mph literally left the ground after hitting the tracks. A "Dip" sign posted 100 feet away did little to slow the uninitiated who, for decades, had been leaving their exhaust pipes, and sometimes even transmissions, in Richland.

Next to one appliance store on the east side of the tracks, a collection of hubcaps and mufflers grew larger with each passing day.

The owner of the business had to keep reseeding his lawn, forever ravaged by out of control vehicles, which suffered the wrath of the sinister "Bump."

Long a sore spot with frustrated township officials, they were powerless to fix the "Bump" since the highway was owned by the state and the tracks by Conrail.

Some requested that the township's position be documented so it would not be held liable should a fatal accident occur.

Tragically, in 1981, the worst fears proved true.

At the time, the Richland crossing had been on a long list of Conrail crossings scheduled for repairs.

But little seemed to happen until a four--car accident one Friday claimed the life of a 19-year-old Northfield man.

The next morning, dozens of residents joined by township officials staged an angry protest at the scene.

Local firefighters used fire trucks to block the tracks. They were later ordered to remove them by the State Police, but the pickets had gotten their message across.

They wanted something done. And quick.

The following week, Department of Transportation officials inspected the site. Although upgrades on up to 300 of the state's crossings were performed each year on a "first come, first served" basis, Richland became classified as a top priority.

Flashing yellow lights were ordered installed and, that September, a front-page story headlined "Good Riddance!" announced that the infamous "Richland Bump" would soon be no more.

Among improvements planned were the removal of one set of tracks and the gradual sloping of the roadway.

In addition to the leveling, remaining tracks were embedded in a rubberized surface to permit vehicles to sail smoothly over the crossing.