Quiet Zone for San Marco/Downtown and Surrounding Areas

[NaldoAveKnight]

FDOT Quiet Zones Grant Program Phase II Overview

Funding Authority:

Florida State Legislature HB 5001: The FY14-15 General Appropriations Act.
In accordance with legislative action; approximately $4,000,000 of residual funds from General Appropriation HB-5001; Line 1890, ($10,000,000) is provided for Quiet Zone improvements in response to the use of locomotive horns at highway-rail grade crossings.  Phase II of the grant program for quiet zones, as requested by local agencies, will provide funding of up to 50 percent of the nonfederal and non-private share of the total costs of any qualifying quiet zone capital improvement project.  Local agencies may apply for grant funds after its quiet zone plan is approved by federal regulatory authorities.

The Department of Transportation (FDOT) will monitor crossing incidents at approved quiet zone locations and have the right to revoke the quiet zone(s) at any time if a significant deterioration in safety results from quiet zone implementation.

Funding Frequency:

This is Phase II of a one-time appropriation FY2014/FY2015
During Phase I approximately $6M in grant funds was awarded.  As a result we will have a about $4M remaining for phase II of the program which is scheduled to begin in mid-February with a deadline at the end of April.

Funding Overview:

The grant is open statewide to local municipalities for assistance with rail crossing quiet zones.
The Deadline for grant request submittals is April 30, 2015
The grant award date(s) is/are pending following receipt of all requests
Award amounts will likely vary greatly depending on the variable nature of the crossing improvements statewide

Funding Priority Criteria:

Consideration for FDOT grant funding will include the following priorities:
agency participation above 50%
appropriate provisions for crossing closures
responsible supplemental safety measures (SSM) cost management
optimal length of quiet zone development
phase I award status


Local participation above 50% and quiet zone plans that feature provisions for crossing closures are key prioritization elements. Selected applicants will execute a Joint Rail Project Agreement (Non-Federal) establishing the scope of work and terms of payment.

Funding Match Detail:

The quiet zones program will provide local governments up to 50% of incurred quiet zone expenditures. Local agencies may apply for assistance once they have met all requirements of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in accordance with 49 CFR 222 and 229. To initiate the evaluation process, jurisdictional partners would need to submit a funding request letter to the FDOT Rail Office prior to the April 30, 2015 submittal deadline.

So that we can ensure that uniform information is disseminated, please advise all interested parties to direct their questions to the individuals shown below:

Information on the Quiet Zone process can be found at http://www.fra.dot.gov/search?q=Quiet+Zones.  If you need clarification on the Notice of Intent to Establish a Quiet Zone process or have other technical Quiet Zone inquiries, please contact Tom Drake, FRA, at (770) 251-6186. 
 
For grant funding questions and to discuss any award process concerns, please contact Andre Goins, FDOT's Rail Operations and Programs Administrator at (850) 414-4620 or andre.goins@dot.state.fl.us.


André W. Goins, P.E.
State Rail Operations and Programs Administrator
Operation Lifesaver State Coordinator

Florida Department of Transportation
Office of Freight, Logistics and Passenger Operations
605 Suwannee Street, MS-25
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450

Office: (850) 414-4620
Fax:    (850) 414-4508
Website: www.oli.org
Email:  Andre.Goins@dot.state.fl.us

[NaldoAveKnight]

Anyone interested in getting rid of the train horn noise in Jax?  Speaking from experience, the train horn noise in Jax is disruptive, especially at night. 

[jaxjaguar]

Does this mean my movies and sleep won't be interrupted by horns anymore? Would I be able to sit outside of aardwolf and sidecar without being deafened? Haha

[jaxjaguar]

I would be all for eliminating the horns. If we need to improve the crossings with more lighting or better gates, let's get it done!

[NaldoAveKnight]

Anyone interested in getting rid of the train horn noise in Jax?  Speaking from experience, the train horn noise in Jax is disruptive, especially at night.

So is an explosion from a gas truck being hit by a train that is running silently.

With that kind of thinking we should just have a solid blast the entire time the train is in a populated area.  That way any kids or animals around the track would be alerted and could scurry off before they were rolled over.  Not to discriminate against the deaf, we would also need to put a 5,000 watt disco ball on the front of the train.

[Charles Hunter]

But doesn't the City of Jax have to be the applicant?  And commit to at least 50% of the cost of upgrading the crossings in the proposed quiet zone?  As glacially as the COJ moves, you will be lucky to get an application in by the April 30 2016 deadline.

[acme54321]

I don't think it would be that much of a safety issue through those areas.  Since the track is only a few miles from the CSX to FEC yards the trains are going pretty darn slow.  I can't think of ever seeing one go more than what I would guess at 20mph and most seem to be slower than that.

[ProjectMaximus]

I don't want to work against safety, but I do think it's excessive.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I like the horns at night and I'm not the only one.  The first train comes through around 12:30am, and that the 'go home, you have to work in the morning' horn.  The next one isn't until 2:30am, and that's the 'wtf are you thinking' horn.  The 3rd is 6ish am and is basically the angel of death horn if I've already heard the other 2 without some sleep in between. 

[coredumped]

If you want quiet DON'T LIVE IN THE CITY, any city!

[thelakelander]

There's always to option of removing more crossings or adding a grade separated crossing.

[jcjohnpaint]

I grew up in the northeast and that sound is my nostalgic connection.  Heard those tracks ans horns most of my life.  I would recommend sleeping with a fan on!

[acme54321]

When my mom visits she says she actually likes hearing the horns at night. She says she feels like it signifies that something is going on here, like a real city.  She lives in the burbs north of Atlanta.

[Ocklawaha]

I don't think it would be that much of a safety issue through those areas.  Since the track is only a few miles from the CSX to FEC yards the trains are going pretty darn slow.  I can't think of ever seeing one go more than what I would guess at 20mph and most seem to be slower than that.

You'd find it amazing what one of Florida East Coast's new  12-cylinder, 4-stroke, turbocharged engine, 432,000 pound, 196,000 kilogram, Evolution Series locomotives can do for your Honda at 20mph. BTW, The Evolution Series Locomotive is so powerful that one 12-cylinder locomotive can pull the equivalent of 170 Boeing 747 jetliners.

With that kind of thinking we should just have a solid blast the entire time the train is in a populated area.  That way any kids or animals around the track would be alerted and could scurry off before they were rolled over.  Not to discriminate against the deaf, we would also need to put a 5,000 watt disco ball on the front of the train.

Every railroader in town would know what that long solid blast means! "When train is stopped. The air brakes are applied and pressure is equalized."

All kidding aside, surrendering three smaller crossings for a single super crossing, with full 4-quadrant protection or an overpass is a great trade off. The City receives a cash grant for each closed crossing. The amount is generally smallish, but could easily fund a new park project, or some such public project. If Florida wasn't stuck on spending the family fortune on roads, they could copy New Mexico (or Palatka) and create overpasses using giant corrugated pipe and fill. It's quick, it's cheap, it lasts forever, a great solution.

Otherwise, from your broken friend, Kudo's on this for Lake and Stephen.

[Scarlettjax]

I actually liked hearing the horns while I lived in the slums of San Marco.   The horns, along with the engines and rescue units of Fire Station 13 did occasionally interrupt my sleep, but I'm admittedly blessed with the horizontal-I'm-out gene.

I grew up sleeping with a grandmother with severe apnea, a train track nearby and family that were all up at first light - and I still sleep late whenever I can.  No matter where I've lived, I find the night sounds oddly comforting, except for the occasional gunfire.