FORNEY, Texas — Nearly a decade in the making, the establishment of a railroad quiet zone through Forney is in its final stages with the Forney City Council’s unanimous approval to request proposals from bidders to complete safety improvements at the downtown railroad crossings.
FORNEY, Texas — Nearly a decade in the making, the establishment of a railroad quiet zone through Forney is in its final stages with the Forney City Council’s unanimous approval to request proposals from bidders to complete safety improvements at the downtown railroad crossings.
The City of Forney intends to establish its quiet zone —an area in which trains cannot sound their warning horn unless of an emergency— between South Bois D’ Arc Street and Farm-to-Market (FM) 548.
Each intersection in the proposed quiet zone will need to be constructed to quiet zone standards as set by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and below a Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold.
Currently the FM 548 intersection meets the required standards but the crossings at South Bois D’ Arc, Elm Street, North Center Street, and Chestnut Street will need to be reconstructed to meet the minimum requirements which will include the construction of medians at each crossing to separate opposing traffic.
The Forney City Council budgeted $495,000 for the reconstruction efforts in their Fiscal Year 2016 budget.
The bidding is expected to take three weeks with a 60-day construction timeline, according to Public Works Director Chris Metz who said the crossings should be complete with final FRA and Union Pacific Railroad inspections and approval by March or April of 2016.
