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November 29, 2008

Railroad whistles could be banned as city considers making quiet zone

The echoing horn and long waits for passing trains in downtown Cullman could eventually be a thing of the past.

One of the final projects being handled by former City Planner Jim Fisher was to work with the CSX railroad company to see how viable it would be to create a quiet zone within the city.

“It shortens the period of time they’re coming through and they don’t blow the whistles — but you still have the rumble of the train,” Fisher said.

Fisher originally got the ball rolling to see if Cullman could become a quiet zone when he was first hired with the city, and he worked on the project until his department was recently eliminated.

To create a quiet zone, the city would have to build retractable safety arms at every train crossing in the city, as well as build non-traversible buffers so vehicles could not attempt to go around the arms.

“It would cut down on interference in downtown, because trains go through without blowing whistles, probably at a faster speed,” Fisher said. “But, you have to have the better gating so no cars can get through.”

With Fisher gone, Cullman Mayor Max Townson said the city is still looking into the viability of creating a quiet zone within the city.

“We’re still working on that,” he said. “He (Fisher) gave us a lot of paperwork concerning that.”

Townson said the process of working with CSX is a slow one, though the city has applied to see if it is possible.

“It’s a long process, but we have applied with them,” he said. “It is something we’re still looking into.”

With the current state of the economy, though, Townson said the price of the project does create a large concern at the moment.

“You have to have safety arms at each intersection, which is about $200,000 a piece,” he said. “Plus, there are three intersections, with two gates per intersection, and that could cost the city as much as $1.2 million. Plus we would have to build the bumper that extends back to keep people from driving around it.”

With such a steep price, Townson said the city is looking into possible grant assistance to help fund the project.

“We’re a long way off now, with the economy the way it is,” he said. “But, there is a stimulus package the federal government is working on for projects within a community like this. The Economic Development office is assisting us with applying for that, and we still have it on the table.”

“We have to prioritize our needs now and just be patient,” he said.



‰ Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.

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