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City of <br /> Elk=' Request for Action <br /> River <br /> To Item Number <br /> Mayor and City Council 8.1 <br /> Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by <br /> General Business February 18, 2014 Justin Femrite, P.E., City Engineer <br /> Item Description Reviewed by <br /> Quiet Zone Notice of Intent Cal Portner, City Administrator <br /> Reviewed by <br /> Click here to enter text. <br /> Action Requested <br /> Approve,by motion,the attached Notice of Intent to establish a Quiet Zone, and further direct staff to <br /> distribute said notice with all affected agencies in accordance with Federal Quiet Zone rules. <br /> Background/Discussion <br /> On January 29, 2014, staff conducted a diagnostic meeting to review our proposed quiet zone <br /> improvements with affected agencies. The agencies represented at the meeting included BNSF,Federal <br /> Railroad Administration (FRA),Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Sherburne County, <br /> Great River Energy,Amtrak, and Quietzone Technologies, our consultant. <br /> The improvements detailed in Option 2 as selected by the City Council at the meeting on September 3, <br /> 2013,were presented at the diagnostic meeting. These improvements included installation of a wayside <br /> horn system at Proctor Road, and supplemental safety measures (channelization devices/raised medians) <br /> at 1715`Avenue, 165`h Avenue, and Jarvis Street. Based on federal rules, these improvements alone <br /> reduce the overall risk index enough to qualify all of our crossings for a Quiet Zone. The representatives <br /> at the meeting made comments and suggestions of additional safety improvements they would like to see <br /> made at each of the crossings. The minutes from this meeting are attached. <br /> Based on the suggestions provided, staff reviewed our proposed improvements and further enhanced <br /> some of our proposed safety upgrades. These enhancements are reflected in the attached Notice of <br /> Intent. <br /> As proposed the quiet zone will include three Sherburne County roadway crossings. This will require the <br /> submittal of a joint Notice of Intent that includes signatures from both the city and the county. Staff is <br /> working with Sherburne County on obtaining their approval. <br /> The submittal of this Notice of Intent formally initiates the process for establishing a quiet zone and <br /> begins a 60-day comment period in which the agencies can provide additional comments. <br /> Financial Impact <br /> This approval will have no direct financial impact. <br /> Attachments <br /> • Diagnostic Meeting Minutes <br /> • Notice of Intent <br /> P O w E H E U A Y <br /> UREJ <br />