Downtown Quiet Zone

Project Number: 30506

Project Location/Limits:
From Woodland to Dennis along the Emporia Subdivision of the BNSF tracks.

Project Scope:
This project will design and construct improvements to the 11 at-grade railroad crossings from Woodland to Dennis along the BNSF tracks through downtown Olathe. Once completed the corridor will have safety improvements adequate to petition the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) to issue a quiet order for these tracks. This means that the 80 trains a day on these tracks can pass through Olathe without blowing their horns. Improvements will be made to crossings at Woodland, Harold, Mulberry, Santa Fe, Park, Loula, Elm and Dennis. The crossings at Prairie, Poplar and Cedar will be closed permanantly for safety reasons. A pedestrian fence on each side of the tracks will be constructed from Mulberry to south of Elm.

Current Project Status:
Downtown Quiet Zone Update Olathe, Kan.For several years, the Olathe City Council has been working to address the challenges presented by train horns in downtown Olathe. Trains are required to sound horns when approaching railroad crossings. Background: There are two sets of BNSF Railroad tracks passing through Olathe, and there are currently 23 at-grade railroad crossings where trains are required to sound horns. An average of 120 trains travel though the city daily, and as a result, train horns are blowing in Olathe about 2,760 times every day. The 11 crossings on the western tracks running through downtown generate about five hours of whistle noise each day alone. Though the railroad grade separation project on the citys eastern tracks will eliminate four crossings, the western tracks though downtown required a different solution. As a result, Olathe is implementing a project based on a new federal program called quiet zones. Quiet zones allow local communities to work with railroad companies to implement significant safety improvements at crossings, so trains are no longer required to sound horns. The city has been pursing this goal since 2005, and the Olathe City Council approved $5.1 million for the project in 2006. Design is underway to eliminate the horn sounds as trains pass on the western tracks. Olathe was one of the first cities to pursue this opportunity. However, many other communities are now recognizing the potential benefits, and the railroads are reacting to numerous requests. Facing the many requests, BNSF is working to implement procedures to address legal issues to move projects forward. Olathe Project Update: The Olathe quiet zone is progressing at different paces on two fronts. As part of Olathes responsibility, the Citys consultant has surveyed the project and begun developing plans for the street modifications as scheduled. This process will be completed once the design is finalized. The second front is dependent on BNSF. The railroad must first enter into an agreement with the City to create the project. Based on the volume of requests to implement quiet zones, the railroad is working to develop a standard agreement to apply. Olathe first submitted its project request to BNSF in October, 2006 and hopes to receive a proposed agreement from BNSF in the near future.

Total Project Cost: $5,100,000

Project Contact: Phil Estes, 971-8667, pestes@olatheks.org

Last Updated: May 27, 2008