(The following story by Edward Russo appeared on The Register-Guard website on February 26.)
EUGENE, Ore. — The Eugene City Council may be getting serious about train noise, but it could take a couple of years or more before it moves to silence train horns in downtown.
Councilors on Monday decided to ask U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., for help in getting federal funds to pay for safety improvements at downtown and Whiteaker neighborhood railroad crossings.
A new type of crossing gate and other measures could eliminate the present requirement for train engineers to sound horns at each crossing. Those measures could allow the city to establish a so-called railroad quite zone in a 1-mile stretch, between High Street on the east and Van Buren Street on the west.
Councilor Andrea Ortiz, who represents the downtown and Whiteaker areas, suggested that the council ask DeFazio, the Springfield Democrat who is chairman of the House transportation subcommittee, for funding help. “Until we deal with (the noise issue), it won’t go away,” Ortiz said.
Whiteaker area residents have complained for years about loud train horns jarring them awake at night, affecting their health and quality of life and property values.
But councilors said it could take years to get federal funding.
And if the city implements quieting measures, train horns would still sound in the downtown and Whiteaker areas, councilors acknowledged, though not as frequently as they do now. Engineers could still sound horns to warn pedestrians and motorists for safety reasons.
City Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen looked at installing new double-arm crossing gates, which would prevent motorists from sneaking across railroad tracks while a train approaches. Putting medians in streets near crossings and converting streets to one-way to reduce traffic also are being considered.
It could cost $1.35 million to install the double-arm gates at two crossings, convert a pair of streets to one-way traffic and put medians at two crossings, Larsen estimated.
Another option, to close railroad crossings, is thought to be the best way to improve crossing safety.
Federal and state officials and the Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the tracks, favor that idea. But area residents oppose street closings.
In a Feb. 21 letter to the mayor and councilors, the Whiteaker Community Council said it unanimously supports the creation of a quiet zone “as soon as possible.” But the group objected to closing streets, saying it would negatively affect residents and businesses.
Councilor Jennifer Solomon said street closures could cause “ghettolike” conditions near the crossings. And, she said, “It’s important for people to understand that this is not a complete elimination” of train horn noise, she said.
In another matter, the council unanimously approved a request by the Eugene Water & Electric Board for $85.5 million in bonds that will finance the construction of a new operations center in west Eugene.