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quiet zone designation by installing safety measures at all crossings in any half-mile piece of track. Mr. Larson then referred to a map illustrating 3,000 feet of railroad track in the downtown and the Whiteaker neighborhoods. Mr. Larsen referred to a spreadsheet which outlined eight different alternatives to meet the first requirement stipulated in the rules – ranging in scope from installing a supplemental safety measure at all crossings to installing supplemental safety measures at two or three crossings. He spoke of alternative safety measures that would not result in quiet zones: targeted enforcement and an educational program. He said if these measures were deemed effective, the federal Railroad Administration (FRA) might accept them. Mr. Larsen explained that if Eugene met the National Risk Index level, an annual review would ensue and if the index level decreased, additional supplemental safety measures would be required to maintain the quiet zone. Mr. Larsen stressed that the rules were quite convoluted and no jurisdiction had yet gone through the process. He said there were many ramifications to the installation of alternative safety measures and referred to photographs that illustrated quad gates which stop vehicles from driving through the gates and require additional detection/preemption equipment from the railroad as the approach gate must close before the exiting gate. Mr. Larsen revealed that the additional detection and preemption equipment required to install quad gates could cost approximately $2 million. He commented that such gates would have the least impact on adjoining businesses and would require that the City enter into an agreement with the railroad to maintain them. Mr. Larsen went on to say that, at a much lower cost, the City could install medians. He explained that the initial requirement to install a median was that a street within 60 feet of a specified crossing would need to be closed before a median could be built. Mr. Larsen spoke of the Hilyard at 8th, Pearl at 5th, and Lincoln at 3rd locations and opined that those three sites would be inappropriate for medians due to the requirement to close the side street. He then explained that an additional requirement to install medians was that all commercial driveways within 100 feet of the crossing would need to be closed. In conclusion, Mr. Larsen stated that to meet the requirements for a “whistle zone,” six of the remaining seven sites appropriate for medians would need to be closed and opined that that could be accomplished. Mr. Larsen referred to the railroad inspection reports, noting they were out of date for Eugene and hence the risk analysis figures were not reliable. He stated that if they were to be taken into account, the City’s Risk Index level would be approximately 23,000 and the national figure was 17,000. Mr. Larsen reported that medians could be built for approximately $120,000. He then noted that some businesses would be affected, as they were within 100 feet of the crossing and the City would be liable for damages to those businesses. Mr. Larsen spoke to other alternatives, such as converting two-way streets to one-way and the use of dual gates on the one-way approach. He opined that the most reasonable approach would be signals; two quad gate signals would cost the City approximately $3 million. In regard to the federal process, Mr. Larsen noted that the City would be required to provide notification and plans, which he said was a six-month process. Mr. Larsen further explained that any design would need to be sent to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Rail Section, which also required a six-month process. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 20, 2005 Page 3 Work Session