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Contact: Stu Nicholson

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              

Date: September 27, 2004                                                                            

 

 

Talking About Quiet Zones

ORDC Meets With Nine Communities in “Demonstration Zone”

 

(Columbus) – The signing by Governor Bob Taft of legislation allowing so-called railroad “quiet zones” is allowing nine communities in Northeast Ohio the opportunity to muffle the sound of train horns.  But how that gets done safely still raises many questions. ORDC staff today met with officials of the nine communities to attempt to answer those questions.

 

Passage and signing of HB-247 allowed the establishment of a demonstration “quiet zone” corridor in the following communities:

 

•                      Brook Park

•                      Berea

•                      Brooklyn

•                      Brooklyn Heights

•                      North Ridgeville

•                      Strongsville

•                      Middleburg Heights

•                      Olmsted Falls

•                      Olmsted Township

 

“We want to be sure everyone is clear on exactly what it takes to create a quiet zone, as well as the costs and who pays for what”, says ORDC Executive Director James Seney.  “There’s more to it than just putting up warning lights and gates.  According to the provisions in HB-247, we have to ensure that motorists and pedestrians are kept safe whenever a train is approaching.”

 

Seney explains that technology is already available to completely block the flow of traffic at grade crossings, such as:

 

•                      Four-quad gates: gates that drop down to block all lanes of traffic from both directions to prevent motorists from driving around a gate

•                      Median barriers: a physical barrier (i.e.: concrete lane dividers) that separates lanes of traffic and blocks motorists from driving into an opposing lane to get around grade crossing gates and lights

 

 

Already, in some of these communities, rail corridor grade crossing improvements have been made under projects by ORDC, ODOT and the PUCO.  For example, a project to eliminate a grade crossing of both a  heavily traveled street and several railroad tracks with a grade separation was recently completed at Bagley Road in Berea.

 

“The task ahead of us now”, says Seney, “ is to determine what else these communities need to do to implement and qualify for approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. We feel we’ve begun a productive exchange with these communities.”

 

(The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent agency operating within the Ohio Department of Transportation.  ORDC is responsible for economic development through the improvement and expansion of passenger and freight rail service, railroad grade crossing safety and rail travel & tourism issues. For more information about what ORDC does for Ohio, visit our website at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/ )