Sugar Grove quiet zone in effect for trains

When Mandi Grotto first moved to Sugar Grove, she loved being near the railroad tracks on Main Street and hearing the sound of the train horn.

But after seven years and with three small children, the sound lost its charm for her.

Grotto is one of many Sugar Grove residents who will benefit now that village officials have created a quiet zone - engineers are not to sound their horns while passing.

"It's nice to be able to make a phone call outside, or even just talk to your family, without being interrupted by the horns blowing," Grotto said. "And now my children won't have to wake up in the middle of the night."

After more than two years of planning, advertising for bids, and dealing with extensive paperwork with the Federal Railroad Administration, the quiet zone is finally in effect. It is possible under the Local Rail-Highway Crossing Safety Program.

At a cost of $29,000, Sugar Grove erected signs and installed concrete barrier/medians at the crossing on Main Street just south of the library. The quiet zone also includes the crossing on Dugan Road off Route 30. Medians were installed there when the crossing was upgraded in 1996.

The barrier/medians are six-inch by six-inch raised concrete painted yellow and installed in the center of the road in place of yellow striping. They extend 60 feet to the north and 30 feet to the south of the railroad tracks

"The barriers keep traffic from circumventing the gates," explained Geoff Payton, Sugar Grove streets and property supervisor. "Once the barriers were installed, we notified the railroad administration. There was a three-week waiting period. But now the engineers can't sound their horns just to cross the tracks. You'll still hear a train horn occasionally, like on foggy days."

When the village board discussed requirements for the quiet zone in May 2007, it also considered adding a quiet zone at the Gordon Road crossing.

But Director of Public Works Anthony Speciale estimated that the project would have cost at least $200,000 because the intersection of Gordon Road and Prairie Street is too narrow for the medians. Also, future plans call for an overpass.