05-14-2014 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL May 14, 2014 level. The Council did order the Quiet Zone Study as the first step in the process of getting quiet zones designated in Little Canada which could result in trains no longer sounding whistles at crossings. The Administrator reported that the Short, Elliot & Hendrickson (SEH) was hired to do the Quiet Zone Study, and that Little Canada is coordinating its study with that of the City of Shoreview. He noted that there is merit in the two communities working together on this issue. Shoreview will be able to implement some of their Quiet Zones quicker than Little Canada given that some of the required improvements already exist on two of their crossings. He indicated that the City of Vadnais Heights already has a couple of quiet zones in place. The Administrator reported that the process to have a Quiet Zone designated is governed by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and that there are a great many rules and regulations relative to this process. The Administrator indicated that Dave McKenzie, SEH, is here this evening to present the results of the Quiet Zone Study and to talk about the next steps. He also noted that the complete Study is on the City's web site for review. Dave McKenzie, SEH, reported that he has been conducting Quiet Zone Studies throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin for the past 20 years. He agreed that there are a lot of issues to consider, technical details, and regulations relative to the establishment of Quiet Zones. McKenzie reported that there are 6 railroad crossings in Little Canada and 4 in Shoreview. The primary objective of conducting this study is to determine what it would take to get a Quiet Zone established in Little Canada. McKenzie then began a detailed review of the results of the study. McKenzie reported that the FRA requires that trains sound horns at all public grade crossings. However, it has created a process allowing communities to enact Quiet Zones. FRA Quiet Zone rule requirements include that railroad signals with gates, constant warning time, and Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM) when the risk index is considered too high. McKenzie presented a map showing railroad locations in the Metro Area and noting that it is the Canadian Pacific (CP) railroad that runs through Little Canada. He indicated that CP had been leasing track from Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), but given the factors such as cost and the improved economy, CP has diverted more of their traffic to their own rails. McKenzie noted that 2007 was likely the low point for rail traffic, but that amount of traffic has significantly increased. 2