In January, the City of Carroll postponed a quiet zone study update on train horn mitigation until after the budgeting process was completed. Recently, they returned to that discussion and approved an agreement that includes study updates at seven railroad crossings throughout the community: at Bella Vista Drive, Grant Road, Burgess Avenue and Maple, Clark, Main and Carroll Streets. Director of Public Works, Randy Krauel, says there have since been three changes made to the agreement presented in January.
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Construction plans would be prepared by Bolton and Menk, Inc. and then submitted to the Union Pacific Railroad for review. The agreement pays for that process. The third item is the inclusion of a schedule of completion.
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Estimated fees in the study update have not changed and remain at $20,150 with the funding derived from Local Option Sales Tax (L.O.S.T.) in the current fiscal year. Council member, Carolyn Siemann, asked if the scope is broad enough to cover all they need to know to be well informed in ensuring safety at each crossing. Krauel says the scope includes some of the options from previous experiences. Though the options for review are unlimited, they simply could not include all of them in this scope of service.
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Krauel also cleared up confusion on the fee that could be up to $40,000.
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Questions were also raised about what happens if the Union Pacific does not approve the city’s plans. Project manager at Bolton and Menk, Jim Leiding, says if approved supplemental safety measures (ASMs) are used, the railroad really has no recourse to say no because they are pre-approved by the Federal Rail Administration. If alternative safety measures, the creation of hybrid safety options, are selected, they have to be approved before going to the railroad.