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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-2001-027 Railroad Quiet Zone (Train Whistle Ban)RESOLUTION No. R-2001-27 A RESOLUTION requesting that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Washington Utilities and Trade Commission (WUTC) establish a railroad quiet zone within the City of Yakima. WHEREAS, the City of Yakima is responding to the requests of many business owners to cease the sounding of locomotive horns or whistles in the residential and commercial area of northern Yakima; and WHEREAS, the City and BNSF have caused to have designed and constructed, supplemental safety measures as approved by the FRA and the WUTC; and WHEREAS, the FRA has video recorded and reviewed existing driver behavior at three of the rail crossings and is in the process of recording driver behavior with the supplemental safety measures in place; and WHEREAS, the FRA will continue to record driver behavior through the final observation period that locomotive horns or whistles are temporarily silenced at these five railroad crossings; and WHEREAS, a permanent locomotive horn or whistle ban will not be placed into effect until the FRA and the WUTC review driver behavior without the sounding of locomotive horns or whistles along with the effectiveness of supplemental safety measures; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YAKIMA: The City of Yakima requests that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Washington Utilities and Trade Commission (WUTC) establish a permanent "quiet zone" banning the sounding of locomotive horns or whistles at the following BNSF mainline railroad crossings: 'I' Street; 'D' Street; Lincoln Avenue; 'B' Street; and Yakima Avenue. The City Manager is hereby authorized and directed to take all necessary and prudent actions to submit the request jointly with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Company (BNSF) to the FRA and WUTC. ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this 2®79day of February, 2001. ATTEST: Karen S. Roberts, City Clerk February 15, 2001 ,2-17d.6", .16a ry Place, Mayor DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Engineering Division 129 North Second Street Yakima, Washington 98901 (509) 575-6111 s Fax 576-6305 K. Wendell Adams, City Engineer March 19, 2001 0.�.3C1J1gC Gavalla, Associate Ad11L11 L1s 11 a Lot lol Safety United States Department of yTransportation Federal 1'x111 JJaLL AdminLdL11L 1120 Vermont Ave. NW, Stop 25 Washington D.C. 20590 .Subjec• t: Request 1J1 Train Whistle "Quiet Zone" City of Yakima 1 iolect No. 1.813 Dear Mr. Gavalla: The City of Yakima (City) and The Burliirgton 1 Vord Le111 a1 LL1 Santa 1'C Railway Company (BNSF) request the creation of a Train Whistle "Quiet Zone" at certain railroad crossings in the City of Yakima. This request 1:J 11LQUC pursuant LV the provisions of Section 20153 to Title 49, United States Code and is subject to: Final review of the Phase s v12 -s 2 crossing history; (phase review inill 13c conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), WUTC, BNSF and the City.), LiL11y of 4111. CLppIV}J11aLC olt1 1 110111 11 LC VV41 1L11L6UJ1L La LC LJ1.1111 Cs a1 LU 11au1z Commission (WUTC), yWUTC e, and Submittal of the "as -built" drawings for each crossing. For Elle last several VCars, tile sCi J 01 1x1111 La along VV1LL1 The 11u1.111L Lo1L Nord -tern and Santa Fe Railway Company have been working with the FRA and the Washington L State Utilities 1 Transportation poa.t '. 011 11L1) ioa- 11 9' L) 1 \ 1% ba._ the use of locomotive horns at five consecutive railroad crossings in the northern portion of the City of Yakima. The FRA has -1 dl ' d„ t -o in 3 evaluation f _-1-.,.r-.,, behavior lite 1'1\ri 1La7 p109d1L.Lel1 VlLtCO 11LV1.Ll.LV111L�' aiLU CV'a1LLaLIV1L 01 driver LJC1L4V1V1 11L preparation for FRA approval of a Whistle Ban demonstration project in Yakima. The FRA A 1L41 also authorized the construction f "supplemental to 1 " lite 1'1\t9 11x3 aAJV aL1 L1 LV11LCL L1 LC l.V1Ls L1 LLT. LA4JAt 1J1. �U�J}.�1C11LCl.LLa1 sale ty measures" by the City at those five crossings in further preparation for the demonstration project. J1}pa C2CILal safety measures 1taVC been Ll1LjLALcLC1 Vy. 11 LC t-. • 'L) as agreed to by all rite 11LteresLed i>ardes. Yakima ►a•t,txn 'IID 994 Upon completion of the final review process and entry of the WUTC order, the City and BNSF jointly request the creation of a "Quiet Zone" and that the FRA orders BNSF trains to not sound whistles as they approach and pass through the Yakima Avenue, "B" Street, Lincoln Avenue, "D" Street, and "I" Street crossings subject to the standard terms and conditions of the order like those imposed for the Spokane County project. Sincerely, THE BURLINGTON NORTHERN AND SANTA FE RAILWAY COMPANY tn Attest: By: Name Printed J c►1 e (V\. Co(J { Title: 0,. ;Nosy, a- R)1) c -i" Date:I 2 v i THE CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON By: � •� Richard A. Zais, Jr., City Manager -Date: Karen Roberts, City Clerk k% City Contract No.. oo ( - a R Resolution No. R- a ° ©? cc: Grady Cothen, Deputy Associate Administrator of Safety Standards. Ronald E. Ries, Staff Director - Crossing and Trespasser Division Senator Patty Murray Senator Maria Cantwell Congressman Doc Hastings Page 2 7 Yakima Avenue looking east. Yakima Avenue looking east. Yakima Avenue looking east with train crossing activated. Yakima Avenue looking east with train crossing activated. Yakima Avenue looking west across Front Street. 'B' Street looking east. Lincoln Avenue looking west across Front Street. `13' Street looking east. 'D' Street looking west across Front Street. '1' Street looking east. 'I' Street looking west across Front Street. T Street looking west across Front Street. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. For Meeting of February 20, 2001 ITEM TITLE: Resolution requesting the Federal Railroad Administration and the Washington Utilities and Trade Commission to establish a railroad quiet zone within the City of Yakima. SUBMITTED BY: iitiam Cook, Dept. of Community and Economic Development CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE: K. Wendell Adams, P.E., City Engineer Engineering Division Manager / 575-6096 SUMMARY EXPLANATION: The attached resolution directs the City Manager to jointly submit, with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Company (BNSF), a request that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Washington Utilities and Trade Commission (WUTC) allow a permanent "quiet zone" banning the sounding of locomotive horns or whistles at the following BNSF mainline railroad crossings: 'I' Street; 'D' Street; Lincoln Avenue; 'B' Street; and Yakima Avenue. The FRA and BNSF have indicated that in order to allow trains through town without sounding locomotive horns or whistles for the street crossings, "Supplementary Safety Measures" must be in place at each of the 5 crossings. The City of Yakima and BNSF developed a construction plan with and acceptable to the FRA and the WUTC to make safety improvements. Those safety improvements are in place at all 5 of the crossings. ( Contrnued ) Resolution X Ordinance _ Contract _ Other (Specify) Funding Source: "Cumulative Reserve for Capital Improvement Fund" (392) APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the attached resolution requesting the FRA and WUTC to establish a railroad "quiet zone". BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: COUNCIL ACTION: February 15, 2001 Resolution adopted. RESOLUTION NO. R-2001-27 Resolution requesting establishment of a railroad quiet zone ( Continued ) Along with those safety measures, it was agreed that the FRA would install and video monitor the crossings at Yakima Avenue, 'D' Street and 'I' Street for sixteen weeks prior to crossing modifications, sixteen weeks immediately following crossing changes and for a final sixteen weeks during a temporary locomotive horn and whistle ban. The Swift Rail Development Act (Pub. L. 103-440, November 2, 1994) added Section 20153 to title 49, United States Code, that directs the Secretary of Transportation (delegated to the Federal Railroad Administrator) to prescribe regulations requiring that a locomotive horn be sounded while each train is approaching and entering upon each public highway -rail grade crossing, and provides FRA the authority to except from this requirement, categories of rail operations or categories of grade crossings that: 1) are determined not to present significant risk, 2) for which the use of a locomotive horn is impractical, 3) for which supplementary safety measures fully compensate for the absence of the warning provided by the locomotive horn. It is anticipated that the FRA and WUTC will approve a temporary "quiet zone" for these 5 crossings with the establishment of a permanent "quiet zone" by the FRA & WUTC upon review of driver behavior and effectiveness of the supplemental safety measures. Februng 15, 2001