Railroad quiet zones equipment is in place

Neighbors near the Second Street and State Park Road railroad crossings might be glad to know train locomotives will soon be passing by without blasting their sirens.

Of course, some locals say they enjoy the sound of train sirens. It’s a part of living in an historic railroad town, they remind residents who want the crossings silenced.

Whitefish public works director John Wilson said he received about 15 letters from residents living near the State Park Road crossing and a petition with about 15-20 signatures from residents living near the Second Street crossing encouraging the city to take steps to silence the sirens.

Another half dozen letters arrived in support after the city began work on establishing “quiet zones,” he said, along with at least one letter taking the city to task for trying to silence the sirens. Wilson noted that some long-term residents supported the quiet zones.

“There’s a lot more trains now than in the past,” he said. “We’re responding to public demand.”

Federal regulations promulgated in January 2000 allow for the creation of quiet zones and describe the steps needed to get them in place. The idea is to stop vehicles from going around a closed railroad crossing arm.

City street crews recently completed lag-bolting break-away channelization devices down the centerline of the roads at both crossings. Wilson said the cost probably ran to $10,000 for each crossing, a savings of about $5,000 per crossing from the initial estimate.

The channelization devices run about 100 feet down the centerline of Second Street and one side of State Park Road. On the other side of State Park Road, they run about 60 feet to a road intersection, but that complies with the regulations, Wilson said.

The city will send letters off to the Federal Railway Administration, BNSF Railway and Montana Department of Transportation to get the program in effect.

Wilson said city plow crews will have to be careful clearing snow from those areas, which he expects will not be a problem.

“We have good snowplow operators,” he said. “And besides, these are the same guys who would have to replace any of the devices that get knocked off.”

Wilson compared the channelization devices with the pedestrian warning signs set up in the middle of Baker Avenue.

“We have to replace them about every year,” he noted.