On Monday, November 6, Claremore City Council received an update on the status of the community’s ongoing railroad quiet zones project.
The quiet zones implementation process will take around two years to complete and includes a series of diagnostic meetings, an 18-month comment period on the application and additional construction for crossing improvements.
The City’s second diagnostic meeting will be held this Wednesday, November 8, where city staff will meet with SRF Consulting, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration, Union Pacific and BNSF to further evaluate the status of existing crossings to identify improvements and establish an implementation timeline.
Quiet zones are sections of a railroad corridor where train crews do not routinely sound the horn at railway crossings. These areas feature supplemental safety measures to minimize the risk of not blowing the horn.
“Establishing quiet zones across Claremore has been a long-standing request from residents,” said John Feary, Claremore City Manager. “I am excited to be making positive steps toward completing this endeavor, increasing our community’s quality of life and safety.”
All quiet zones must be at least one-half mile long and include all crossings within zone limits. Additional criteria include gates, flashing lights, power-out indicators and constant warning time (CWT) detectors. While all 16 of Claremore’s crossings are equipped with gates, lights and CWT detectors, additional safety features will need to be added before quiet zone implementation. These include four-quadrant vehicle gates, medians/channelization devices, wayside horns and other alternative measures.
