CC MInutes - 07/20/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Larsen explained that the Risk Index level involves the Average Daily Traffic (ADT), the number of trains, and the width and alignment of the rail and also seems to lean heavily on “crash” history. Mayor Piercy solicited a first round of council comments and questions. Mr. Papé complimented staff and City Manager Taylor for the excellent background materials and voiced hope that the public could be made aware of how complex and costly it would be for Eugene to implement a quiet zone. He voiced support for further exploration of closing some crossings as a possible solution. In response to question from Mr. Papé, Mr. Larsen replied that the proposal for the hospital would turn Patterson into an under crossing and the Agate crossing would become redundant and most probably close. City Manager Taylor noted that the University of Oregon Board of Trustees and Riverfront Research Park were stakeholders in that project and have a contrary preference to that crossing; therefore, additional engineering would need to ensue. Ms. Ortiz spoke to the cost for such a project and joined Mr. Papé in supporting research on the possibility of closing some crossings; however, she suggested that the neighborhood associations be brought into the process prior to any final decisions. In response to a question from Ms. Ortiz, Mr. Larsen stated there would be some low costs associated with closing crossings, as they much less costly than installing quad gates. He spoke of the mobility concern and the increased risk (i.e., closing Monroe Street adds additional traffic to Madison Street); additionally, he reiterated that the closure of two streets would not raise the Risk Index level to the point needed to gain a whistle-free zone from Jefferson Street going west. Mr. Larsen reiterated that the rules were specific in that a quiet zone must be one-half mile in length. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Larsen stated he did not know which funding source could be tapped for such a project. Ms. Bettman noted that the City spent $250,000 on a bicycle lane which has yet to be built and opined funding would be available for such a project if the council wished to make this project a high priority. Mr. Kelly commented there was a real community desire to respond to the noise from the train horns. In response to a question from Mr. Kelly, Mr. Larsen replied that the current gates were on railroad right-of-way and were therefore maintained by the railroad. He said the FRA states that any local jurisdiction which undertakes a quiet zone would pay the construction costs of the improvements to the rail system and the railroad would maintain the zone but would likely expect jurisdictions to maintain anything over and above the current standards. Mr. Kelly said that if the project moves forward, it should be ascertained whether the FRA would be willing to enter into negotiations regarding these costs. He requested that staff fine-tune cost estimates and options as well as identify available resources and consider funding alternatives such as the private sector. Mr. Kelly noted that the FRA would be willing to measure current levels to bring the Risk Index up-to-date for Eugene. Mayor Piercy spoke to the interim nodal discussions that were underway and said support could possibly come from that arena. She then mentioned the Ames, Iowa wayside horns and Mr. Larsen said that such devices could be an alternative safety measure. He elaborated that the federal rules stipulate that wayside horns could be installed, even in quiet zones; however, if the City were to attempt to calculate a reduction in the Risk Index, there would be no reduction for MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 20, 2005 Page 4 Work Session