Railroad Quiet Zone

This project would provide railroad quiet zones at various locations in the City of Smyrna.  The project would provide four quad gates and/or median barriers at three different railroad crossings.  These gates and barriers would eliminate the need for railroad whistles to announce the oncoming trains.  Quiet zones would be provided at the following locations: 

1. the intersection of the CSX Railroad and Fleming Street/Hawthorne Avenue,
2. the intersection of the CSX Railroad and Spring Street, and
3. the intersection of the Norfolk Southern Railroad and Nickajack Road. 
   

All three quiet zone locations are in the design phase and construction is anticpated to begin in 2008.

What is a Quiet Zone?

Many communities across the nation are trying to balance the negative impacts of train horn noise on sensitive neighborhoods while enhancing rail safety. New federal rules offer and support a solution: quiet zones. The Federal Railroad Administration defines a quiet zone as:

A segment of rail line, within which is situated one or a number of consecutive public highway-rail crossings at which locomotive horns are not routinely sounded.

Sample Quiet Zone System - Four-Quadrant Gate System:

"A four-quadrant gate system involves the installation of gates at a public highway-rail grade crossing to fully block highway traffic from entering the crossing when the gates are lowered. This system includes at least one gate for each direction of traffic on each approach. A four-quadrant gate system is meant to prevent a motorist from entering the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid a fully lowered gate in the motorist's lane of traffic. Because an additional gate would also be fully lowered in the other lane of the road, the motorist would be fully blocked from entering the crossing."

Source: The Federal Railroad Administration 49 CFR Parts 222 and 229

Note with the 2 Gate Crossing vehicles can get around the gates to "beat the train" but with the 4 Gate Quadrant vehicles are blocked providing additional safety.