City seeks to subdue sound

Quiet zone at Plaza Boulevard extension would be first in Lake County

Mentor officials — and many motorists — are counting down the days until the long-awaited Plaza Boulevard extension opens to traffic.

Meanwhile, they are working toward keeping it quiet after that happens.

City Council this week passed a resolution authorizing creation of a railroad quiet zone at the CSX and Norfolk Southern crossing being completed on the extension, which will link Route 20 with Tyler Boulevard via Clover Avenue.

“I think the benefit of the investment that we’re making right now, that the extension of Plaza Boulevard with the two new at-grade crossings allows, is the opportunity — because they have been upgraded with the best available technology — to proceed with the first designation of a quiet zone in the community,” City Manager Ken

The railroads, along with state and federal railroad authorities, will have up to 60 days to provide comment on the proposed change.

Filipiak said.

Council’s vote was the first step in the process of establishing the quiet zone, in which train horns are no longer routinely sounded when approaching a crossing. They still would be employed in emergencies.

The Federal Railroad Administration requires extra safety precautions, in addition to lights and gates, in order to allow a quiet zone. The extension project included raised medians in the center of the road at the crossing to prevent motorists from driving around downed gates.

“One thing I’d kind of like to key in on is the quiet zone that we’re establishing actually makes the crossing safer for cars,” said Ward 1 Councilman Sean Blake, who proposes making all of the city’s railroad crossings quiet zones. “Even though people in the community won’t hear those horns, the upgrades to that crossing keep them from being able to go around the gates and into the path of an oncoming train.”

The railroads, along with state and federal railroad authorities, will have up to 60 days to provide comment on the proposed change.

“Assuming everything is in order, we would then be able to issue an establishment of the quiet zone, complete with road signs that indicate such,” Assistant City Manager Tony Zampedro said. “A 21-day waiting period then is necessary, and then the quiet zone takes effect. So, conservatively, there may be a three- to four-month period, where, once the crossing opens, the train whistles and horns may sound for a while. …

“It’s my hope that we would get that additional community noise removed fairly quickly here, so this will be the first one in Lake County. It does set the stage for discussion, maybe, for future quiet zones in the city.”

Upgrades needed to the other crossings — on Hopkins Road, Station and Hart streets, Maple Avenue and Patterson Drive — come with a hefty price tag, based on numbers Zampedro obtained from Norfolk Southern. They would likely total more than $500,000, not including the cost to improve CSX crossings.

Blake asked whether any transportation funding is available for such projects.

“Not any direct funding that we’re aware of,” Zampedro said, noting that the state of New York gave the city of Hamburg $500,000 for work at five crossings.

“But for the funding, we’d be able to go forward,” he added.

Last year, Blake requested a look at quiet zones because of the increase in train traffic in the last 20 years.

“Now that the leaves are not on the trees, I can hear from my bed on King Memorial, and I can imagine as you get closer to those crossings; although people do get used to it,” he said. “But it’s like having somebody that nags you all the time; would you like to have them stop? Sure. So I’ve got a feeling that if we were to be able to, at some point in the future, eliminate those horns, that would be a plus for the community.”

Final completion of construction on the Plaza Boulevard extension is expected to be at the end of January, weather permitting. A testing period will take place before the road is open to traffic.