by Elizabeth Wood West

It appears that not everyone in and around the Castle Pines Village and Sedalia area is bothered by train horn noise. A recent telephone survey, sponsored by Douglas County, indicates there is not enough local support for the creation of a public improvement district (PID) and an assessment to pay for a Railroad Quiet Zone (quiet zone). A quiet zone can mitigate/eliminate train horn noise; this is done by reducing the number of private crossings and/or bringing public crossing equipment into compliance with the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) safety guidelines.

Douglas County’s efforts

After Douglas County received a petition in February from affected residents and businesses asking the County to address train horn noise, staff began working on creating a quiet zone. Douglas County conducted a study along U.S. Highway 85 from the Atrium Drive area to north of Sedalia, to determine the potential for creating a quiet zone along this corridor. Twelve exiting at-grade crossings were reviewed, including ten private and two public crossings. All of the crossings are along the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) tracks that lie west of U.S. Highway 85.

Additionally, representatives from Douglas County, UPR, FRA, Colorado Public Utilities Commission, and Felsburg Holt & Ullevig visited each crossing to discuss the current vehicle and train traffic volumes, review any safety concerns, and determine improvements that would be acceptable to all parties to establish a quiet zone.

Survey results

There are 1,708 affected area property owners; the total estimated reimbursement for the PID quiet zone improvements is $2,970,625; and the estimated special assessment per property owner is $1,739. The $2,970, 625-reimbursement cost, including fees and interest over a 10-year payback period, would average out to $20 per month per property owner. The County’s survey was conducted with 300 voters living near the railroad corridor along U.S. Highway 85. The survey’s objectives were to determine the level of concern with train noise and voters’ support for creating a PID with an assessment on property in the affected area.
The survey reported that when residents were asked if they would support the PID and assessment, 34% would support, 61% were opposed, and 5% didn’t know. It concluded that train noise is a problem, and for close in residents, it has significant impact on quality of life. However, voters offer little support, even when a small assessment amount is proposed, for the quiet zone.

Looking ahead

County Engineering staff member, Sean Owens, PE, said, “Based on the survey results, the Commissioners decided not to move forward with a petition and vote this year. Staff will be working with the Castle Pines Village folks to explore other options of paying for a quiet zone. We will also evaluate a petition and election in 2011. This is not a dead issue, but we now have a little more time to work on other options and do the public outreach and education,” he said. For more information about the quiet zone and survey, please call 303-660-7490 or visit www.douglas.co.us “Hot Topics,” and click on “Railroad Crossing – Quiet Zone Study.”