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Railroad Quiet Zones, Fairfield Proposals
On July 12 the Fairfield city council unanimously voted to move forward on establishing a railroad quiet zone. By closing the 3rd St crossing and adding safety medians on both sides of the D, B, Court, Main, and 23rd St crossings and the north side of the 4th St crossing, Fairfield will lower the risk of potential accidents by 45% compared to the current risk index with horns (from 31,321 to 17,336). This reduction in risk is what will allow the trains to stop blowing their horns as they pass through town. The city voted in favor of moving ahead with this project with the following conditions:
- No city tax funds will be spent on the project.
- All money for the project (plus a contingency fund) must be in the bank before construction can begin.
- The decision whether or not to allocate funds from the closure of 3rd will be made later.
Construction and establishment of a quiet zone is expected to be complete in 2011.
Click on the photo for a larger view.
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Fairfield Proposal
North D St.
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Fairfield Proposal
North B St.
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Fairfield Proposal
North Court St.
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Fairfield Proposal
North Main St.
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Fairfield Proposal
North 3rd St. |
Fairfield Proposal
North 4th St.
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Fairfield Proposal
North 9th St.
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Fairfield Proposal
North 23rd St.
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Burlington Example
The concrete medians are eight inches tall by 24 inches wide and extend 60-100 feet from the crossing. They prevent cars from going around the crossing gate and are considered safer than train horns. The crossings must be safer than before the modifications in order to receive a Quiet Zone designation.
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Burlington Example
Constructing concrete medians just like these decreases the likelihood of accidents at crossing by 80% compared to train horns, according the Federal Railroad Administrations Quiet Zone guidelines.
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