Cedar Rapids plans to install gates at downtown railroad crossings

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapidians soon might get a reprieve from the constant echo of train whistles downtown.

City officials are working with Union Pacific on a contract to install gate arms at railroad crossings in the downtown area as soon as next year, which could pave the way for a quiet zone.

The gate arms would be a byproduct of the city's efforts to convert one-way streets to two-ways. City planners hope to convert Second and Third Avenues downtown to two-ways next summer,

Crossings at First, Fourth and Fifth also are being examined.

The traffic conversion require the installation of gate arms, a Union Pacific official said.

'Union Pacific is currently preparing estimates for the city of Cedar Rapids on the cost to convert four crossings (on one-way streets) with overhead cantilever warning devices to lights and gates, which are required when there is two-way motorist traffic at a railroad grade crossing,' Calli Hite, a Union Pacific spokeswoman, said in an email.

Downtown Cedar Rapids has lacked gates at its many railroad crossings, which is unusual given traffic volumes and the frequency of trains.

The city also is considering seeking gate arms for Sixth and Seventh Avenue crossings. If the city can string together about a quarter-mile of protected track, it should qualify to become a quiet zone, said Jen Winter, public works director.

'That's the goal,' said Matt Myers, a Cedar Rapids traffic engineer. 'It's for the safety improvements and to enact a quiet zone.'

Hite said there's potential but no guarantee Cedar Rapids would get that quiet zone.

'The installation of the gate arms could potentially lead to a quiet zone if it helps the crossing meet the (Federal Railroad Administration) requirements for a quiet zone,' Hite said.

Implementation of the gates could remove the need for the warning whistles. Because the railroad owns the tracks, Union Pacific will do the work. Union Pacific said the contract value still is being estimated.

Myers said the city is using national railroad industry estimates to plan. The estimate is $250,000 to $500,000 per crossing to add gate arms. The money would come from the road-use taxes, general obligation bonds and Paving for Progress, if the projects require pavement improvements.