HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.a. Railroad Crossing UpdateAGENDA ITEM: Railroad Crossing Update
AGENDA SECTION:
PREPARED BY: Andrew J Brotzler, P.E., City Enginee (If
A E r�
ATTACHMENTS: Memorandum APPROVED BY: 1 6t
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion
4 ROSEMOUNT
City Council Work Session: March 22, 2006
BACKGROUND:
CITY COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In June 2004, Staff presented to Council preliminary information on the interim Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) rules and requirements for the establishment of Quiet Zones at railroad crossings.
Since that time, the FRA has adopted the final rules enuded "Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway -Rail
Grade Crossings" which became effective June 24, 2005 Attached for Council mformation and
consideration is a memorandum from Chuck Rickart that provides an overview of these rules and how
they relate to the at -grade railroad crossings in Rosemount.
As the City regularly receives inquiries from residents about the use of tram horns at railroad crossings,
Staff would like to update Council on the final rules and options available for Council consideration to
work towards modifications to the current use of tram horns at railroad crossings Chuck Rickart will be
m attendance at the meeting to address questions or comments that Council may have on this matter.
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WSB
Associates, Inc.
To: Andy Brotzler, P.E.
City of Rosemount
From: Chuck Rickart P.E.
Peter Langworthy, AICP
Date: March 16, 2006
Re:
Purpose of Rule
WSB Associates, Inc.
701 Xenia Avenue S Sale #300
Muneapotrs, MN 55416
(763) 541 4800
(763) 541 -1700 (fax)
Final Federal Train Horn Rule Overview
Requirements /Procedures to Establish a New Quiet Zone
Memorandum
In May 2004, WSB prepared a memorandum and reported to City Council on the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) new train horn rules. At that time, the Council directed staff to continue
monitoring the program and update the Council over time as potential crossing improvement
opportunities arise within the City. The purpose of this memorandum is to update the Council as to the
current train horn rules and potential opportunities for the City
On December 18, 2003, the FRA published an interim final rule addressing the need to sound train horns
at roadway crossings. After receiving and addressing numerous comments on the interim rule, the FRA
promulgated the final rule, "Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway -Rail Grade Crossings," effective June
24, 2005. Discussed below is a summary of the key elements of the final rule and point out any
significant differences between the interim rule and the final rule. The final rule and its provisions (49
CFR Parts 222 and 229) are quite involved, and this memorandum is only intended to provide the most
pertinent summary information for the City of Rosemount's circumstances.
Prior to the FRA Horn Rule, the sounding of horns was regulated by state and local authonties. The
FRA Horn Rule establishes a federal requirement that train horns be sounded at all at -grade roadway
crossings, except within "quiet zones." The FRA Horn Rule establishes safety measures and
administrative procedures which communities may use to establish Quiet Zones.
The public entities which are responsible for the traffic control and law enforcement at public highway
rail grade crossings are the only organizations which can designate or apply for a Quiet Zone. Pnvate
companies, citizens or neighborhood groups are not able to create a Quiet Zone independent of local
authorities.
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Quiet Zones must be a minimum of one half mile in length. They must also have active grade crossing
wammg devices at all crossings, comprising both flashing lights and gates in compliance with the
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
The creation of Quiet Zones is based upon nsk analysis. The local authority performs risk analysis for
the proposed Quiet Zone corridor using procedures established by FRA. The Quiet Zone Risk Index (for
the targeted railroad segment) must be calculated to be equal to or less than the Nationwide Significant
Risk Index, or less than the Risk Index for the targeted section if the horns were still sounded (without
improvements).
Local authorities may use Supplemental Safety Measures (SSMs) and/or Alternative Safety Measures
(ASMs), which result in risk reduction credits in the calculations referenced in the previous paragraph.
The SSMs identified and allowed by FRA are as follows:
Closure of the roadway
Four quadrant gate systems
Gates with medians or other channelization on the approaches (to avoid bypassing the gate for
the given lane)
One way street with gates (all lanes must be blocked with gates)
ASMs include the following.
Modified SSMs (where the SSM cannot practicably be fully implemented)
Non engineering measures (such as program enforcement, education, photo enforcement)
Engineering ASMs (may include addressing underlying problematic geometric conditions such
as sight distance)
ASMs are subject to review by FRA to determine allowable risk reduction credits. These credits will
generally be based upon field data and observations compiled by the local authonty (violation rates
before and after implementation of the ASM).
It should be noted that the local authority may bypass the risk analysis procedures and many monitoring
and reporting requirements by installing one or more SSM at all grade crossings in the proposed Quiet
Zone.
Changes from the Interim to the Final Rule
An overview of changes to the interim rule is provided in 49 CFR Parts 222/229, Supplementary
Information (Part 5). Relative to the situation in Rosemount (no existing quiet zone), the most
significant change is that the final rule provides for "Partial Quiet Zones." Communities wishing to
create a New Partial Quiet Zone will be required to comply with New Quiet Zone standards Unless a
waiver is granted, all New Partial Quiet Zones must restrict locomotive horn sounding between the hours
of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
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March 16, 2006
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There are also new pedestrian- related requirements, such as the need to use automatic bells at grade
crossings subject to pedestnan traffic. For cities that have existing quiet zones established under state
or local regulation, some significant changes were made (e.g. a one year "grace period" for full
compliance for certain situations). There are other changes, but not substantial relative to the purpose of
this memorandum.
Quiet Zone Application Process
The FRA Quiet Zone Rules provides a clear process to follow when implementing new quiet zones.
This report initiates that process by establishing a quiet zone location and identifying the highway -rail
grade crossing to be included in this process. It is vital that the city involve affected jurisdictions at the
beginning of this process, since these stakeholders will be review the final request. The stakeholders
should rnclude, but not be limited to all railroads operating over the public highway -rail grade crossings;
the state agency responsible for highway and road safety; and the state agency responsible for grade
crossing safety. It should be noted that even though the stakeholders do not control the quiet zone
decision, their comments are taken into consideration by the FRA during the approval process. The
process to apply for a quiet zone is as follows.
1. Submit a notice of intent to all railroads operating over the public highway -rail grade crossings;
the state agency responsible for highway and road safety; and the State agency responsible for
grade crossing safety. Documentation should include a list of each public highway -rail grade
crossing, private crossing, and pedestrian crossing within the quiet zone, identified by both US
DOT National Highway -Rail Grade Crossing Inventory Number and street or highway name, a
brief explanation of the public authority's tentative plans for implementing =pro), ements within
the proposed quiet zone, a specific reference to the regulatory provision that would provide a
basis for the quiet zone, the name and contact information of the person who will act as the point
of contact during the quiet zone development process, and a list of all parties that are included in
the notification.
2. Determine the exact quiet zone locations and crossings to be included within the zone.
3. Verify existing conditions and that selected quiet zone crossing locations have the minimum
requirements for application submittal (i.e., gates and lights with a power out indicator)
4. Update the National Inventory to reflect existing conditions.
5. Make revisions to the FRA risk evaluation based upon updated information and input from
stakeholders. This evaluation will include analysis with and without the additional SSMs.
6. When a plan is in place to meet the risk index regulations, submit the notification. It is strongly
encouraged to submit the application to FRA and stakeholders for review and comment before
implementing the SSMs.
7. Upon receiving written approval from the FRA, provide the Notice of Quiet Zone Establishment,
silence horns, and install advance warning signage at all crossings. If additional SSMs are put in
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March 16, 2006
Page 4
place, update the National Inventory with this information. Additionally, the SSMs must be
subject to prior testing and evaluation before the rule is put in place.
8. An update on the inventory form must be submitted to FRA every 2.5 -3 years.
It should be noted that quiet zones that are established using the risk index comparison (meaning quiet
zones that do not have SSM's at every highway -rail grade crossing) are subject to annual FRA review. If
the risk index has exceeded requirements, the quiet zone will terminate six months from the date of
receipt of notification from the FRA. During the six month period, there is an opportunity to keep the
quiet zone by providing an action plan to reduce the risk index to allowable levels. The SSM must be
installed within three years of the original FRA notification.
Use of Wayside Horns
Wayside horns have been brought to the attention of the City as a possible noise mitigation/safety
measure The advantage of wayside homs is that they are physically closer to those requiring the
warning (motonsts on the crossing roadways) than to those not needing warning and likely to be
disturbed by the horn (residents close to the train when it sounds its horn).
Subject to requirements, the FRA final rule allows wayside horns to be used in lieu of locomotive horns
at any roadway -rail grade crossing equipped with an active warning system consisting of, at minimum,
flashing lights and gates. Wayside horns maybe used as locomotive hom replacements in Quiet Zones
or non -Quiet Zones. If wayside horns are proposed as part of Quiet Zones, the final Horn Rule
establishes that they do not result in a risk reduction credit m the risk analysis procedures referenced
previously in this memorandum. However, wayside homs can be used to reduce noise impacts
associated with roadway -rail crossings without the need to create Quiet Zones.
Next Steps
If the City is interested in creating Quiet Zones, a study of the intersections would need to occur prior to
submission of application to FRA. The intersections that would be included in the Quiet Zone study
include.
1. 160 Street
2. CSAH 42
3. 145` Street
4. Biscayne Avenue
Several of these intersections were included in the Downtown Study and, therefore, some information is
currently available. This data will be used in preparation of the final study and application to the FRA.
The anticipated scope of work to prepare the crossing study for Quiet Zones and submit the application
would be as follows:
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March 16, 2006
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Task 1— Data Collection
This task would include collecting all pertinent traffic and railroad data for the crossing. It would
include updating existing traffic counts, reviewing existing as -built construction plans, determining the
surrounding topography, collecting crash data at the crossing, and collecting all pertinent railroad data.
Task 2 Risk Index Calculation
This task would include determining the existing risk index based on the current conditions at the
crossing. Once the existing risk index is calculated, supplemental safety measures, such as four
quadrant gates will be evaluated to determine what would be required at each crossing to bring it into
compliance.
Task 3 Crossing Improvement Cost Estimates
Based on the required supplemental safety measures, a crossing improvement cost estimate will be
developed for each crossing. This will include researching potential funding sources for the crossings.
Task 4 Report Preparation
An Engineering Report will be prepared outlining the data collection, risk indices calculations, and
crossing cost estimates for each crossing. This report will be prepared and submitted to City staff for
review. The final report will be presented to City Council for approval.
Task S Agency Coordination
As part of the project, meetings and coordination will be required with several agencies including the
Minnesota Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Dakota County, and the
impact railroads.
Task 6 Quiet Zone Application Preparation
Following approval of the Engineering Study, WSB would prepare the actual Quiet Zone Application for
submission to FRA and the railroad for approval
Based on this Scope of Services, it is estimated that for each crossing a cost ranging from $3,000 to
$7,000 would be required Depending on the number of crossings that are analyzed and if crossings are
packaged together in the final application to FRA, these average costs per intersection could be reduced
I will be available at the City Council workshop on March 23, 2006, to discuss this issue if the Council
is so inclined.
lli
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