Salt Lake City hits snag with temporary road closure in race to restore lost ‘quiet zones’
Nov 21, 2024, 6:30 AM
A FrontRunner train passes under a new pedestrian bridge at 300 North and 490 West, that crosses two Utah Transit Authority and three Union Pacific rail lines, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Salt Lake City wants to temporarily close a railroad crossing holding up a "quiet zone" from being reestablished, but the plan hit a snag. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — For Madeline West, her husband and others who live in her neighborhood, peace lasts from about 12:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. every day.
It’s the only time they can rest without constant interruptions coming from nearby railroad crossings.
“That’s on a typical night. Some nights there are more train horns than others; some nights there are fewer,” she told members of the Salt Lake City Council Tuesday night, as she described her living experience the last two months.
She lives by a federally approved pocket where train operators don’t have to automatically blare horns as long as cities and counties maintain safe enough crossings, called a “quiet zone.” However, all quiet zones from Ogden to Provo were abruptly suspended in late September.
“The noise level, consistency and frequency of the train horns make it very difficult for us,” she said. “After six weeks, we are starting to feel the impact of that, as are many of our neighbors.”
That’s why she pleaded to the City Council to pass a temporary road closure that could expedite the process needed to reestablish a quiet zone from Salt Lake City to Ogden, but the plan hit a small snag on Tuesday.
Read the full story and more from Carter Williams on ksl.com.
