Quieter times likely for those near railroads

  • 2019-05-15
A new Quiet Zone has been set up in Cardiff, meaning those living near the railroad should hear a little less noise.

The zone was put together through the combined efforts of the City of Encinitas, working with the California Public Utilities Commission, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the North County Transit District (NCTD), and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG),

The new Quiet Zone runs a half-mile north and south from Chesterfield Drive, and is in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Setting up such a zone means that trains will no longer sound their horns at this intersection. However, engineers have the discretion to sound the horn if they feel it is necessary to do so for safety reasons.

Eliminating the warning horn means additional safety measures had to be put in place to establish a Quiet Zone that meets federal guidelines. This included installing two additional gates to block traffic lanes, and placing concrete medians in the roadway. The various agencies partnered to rebuild the Chesterfield Drive railroad crossing.

The work was done during a three-week period in January, at which time the crossing was closed to motorists. The rebuilt intersection features new traffic signals, new ADA-accessible ramps and sidewalks, a pedestrian path separated from a multiuse bike path, and new rail crossing safety features. Officials can use poster printing to create Signs to warn motorists of the changes at the crossing for a brief period of time.
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