It was on March 7, 2023, when I got off the bike at the Millersburg Drive rail crossing, where a “quiet zone” was being proposed.
Back in 2023, the government was ready to spend $700,000 toward establishing a “quiet zone” at a railroad crossing just west of the city of Millersburg, on Millersburg Drive. What happened?
The countryside outside of Millersburg is not on my regular rounds. So I lost track of this item.
But a reader reminded me that I had reported on the Linn County Commissioners authorizing, in February 2023, the county road department to accept a grant of $700,000 in federal COVID relief money. The reader wanted to know what happened since.
Linn County Roadmaster Amy Ramsdell was appointed after this took place. She said she did a little research and then sent me an email:
“The Road Department received a COVID relief grant to study the establishment of a quiet zone at the at-grade crossing area on Millersburg Drive. The grant amount was $700,000. Road Department staff met with the owners (Union Pacific Railroad), the operators (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad), Federal Rail Administration (FRA) and ODOT staff on site. These meetings are called diagnostics and are required prior to any work on an at-grade railroad crossing. The Road Department awarded a contract to Wiser Rail Engineering in the amount of $56,778. The firm’s work included producing a cost estimate for the upgrades needed to petition FRA for a quiet zone. The cost estimate for the improvements totaled $1,733,400 in 2023 dollars. The total project cost exceeded the grant amount and the project was cancelled and the quiet zone request did not move forward.”
A quiet zone means that the engineers driving trains don’t blast their air horns the required number of times when they approach an at-grade crossing.
People living near crossings might wish for less noise, at least until they get so used to the sound that train horns no longer bother them.
But as Bob Melbo of ODOT-Rail explained to me for that story in 2023, the requirements for establishing a quiet zone are quite elaborate and, as it turned out in this case, expensive.
What was never explained was why money intended by Congress for COVID relief should be spent on reducing the warning blasts of railroad trains. But in this case at least, we can rest easy that most of that particular $700,000 was not spent on that.
So where did the money go? Ramsdell said the engineering firm was paid $56,778 for its work, and the county was reimbursed $11,068 for removing vegetation and surveying in support of the design work.
“The unspent grant funds were returned to the COVID relief funds for use on other grants.”
And for all I know, the engineers driving Portland & Western freight trains on this former Oregon Electric Railway track still sound their horns when they approach Millersburg Drive. (hh)
Oh, Gawd! $700,000 grant for not blowing train warning horns!! People my age were taught in grammar school nothing much at all about the history of this country, other than “we are the greatest country on earth.” That’s a fallacy. No country is great to much of an extent.. We chase the almighty dollar in this country and always have. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer….that’s how it is. Both Democrats and Republicans have failed the common man and woman.
A point of clarification. Union Pacific Railroad has no involvement with the Millersburg Drive crossing. BNSF Railway is the owner, and this line has been leased to Portland & Western Railroad since December 29, 2002, for operation and maintenance.
I live in N Albany on the hill and even up here the train warning horns are loud if the wind is from the East or South East in the morning before day light at times. Sometimes I wonder what the heck the engineer is smoking because most sound the horn three or four times but some mornings, Sunday stands out, around 4:30-5 AM there is one that sounds the horn 8-12 or more times instead of the usual. Counted them. What is the standard?
— — o — When approaching public crossings at grade with the engine in front, sound
signal as follows: [Dash indicates long horn blast; o indicates short blast]
A. At speeds in excess of 45 MPH, start signal at or about the crossing sign
but not more than 1/4 mile before the crossing.
B. At speeds of 45 MPH or less, start signal at least 15 seconds, but not
more than 20 seconds, before entering the crossing.
C. If no crossing sign start signal at least 15 seconds, but not more than 20
seconds before entering crossing but not more than 1/4 mile before the
crossing.
D. If movement starts less than 1/4 mile from a crossing, signal may be
sounded less than 15 seconds before the crossing when it is clearly
seen traffic is not approaching the crossing, traffic is not stopped at the
crossing or when crossing gates are fully lowered.
Prolong or repeat signal until the engine completely occupies the crossing(s).