Downtown San Diego is on track to reinstate some peace and quiet after city officials announced the completion of vital works aimed at restoring the Railroad Quiet Zone. Trains have been a noisy nuisance in the area, blaring their horns at every downtown crossing, much to the chagrin of residents and businesses alike. This acoustic agony came to be because the city had lost its Quiet Zone status, meaning trains legally had to sound off to warn of their coming.
The city didn't just sit back and let the honks rule, though. They rolled up their sleeves and put into place more than 120 new railroad crossing signs, along with fresh road markings at a dozen intersections. This was needed to potentially stop, once and for all, the deafening disturbance caused by the trains. According to a press release from the City of San Diego, "Field inspections of the improvements were completed by the FRA yesterday."
But getting the silent treatment from trains isn't a shoo-in just yet. The City's completed work and accompanying documentation have to pass scrutiny by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) which, if it approves, will issue a notice reinstating the Quiet Zone. Word has it that city staff are in constant chit-chat with the FRA to get a sense of when that might happen. The suspense has downtown dwellers waiting with bated breath for a return to tranquility.
Inscribe in the city's effort is an Average Daily Trip Count, a traffic survey that counts the daily vehicle throngs at these crossings. This data is part of the package sent to the FRA for review – a box that had to be checked to fully justify the Quiet Zone. While the city is doing its bit to communicate the urgency, residents are urged to remain patient as the FRA reviews the package which, as reported by the City, was submitted "for review today." San Diegans eager for a horn-free existence will have to hold tight a little longer until that much-desired notice of reinstatement is finally issued.
