City takes step toward Birch Point quiet zone

For more than a decade, efforts have started and stalled on a goal of creating a quiet zone at the Birch Point Drive railroad crossing. A new strategy might finally get the project down the track to reality.

Neighbors in the Birch Point area have asked for a quiet zone at the railroad crossing complaining about trains blasting their horns when passing through town. Typically a train must sound its horn at all public grade crossings, but in a quiet zone, trains don’t blow their whistles when other safety measures have been put in place.

The City of Whitefish has long tried to work with BNSF Railway and neighbors in an attempt to create a railroad quiet zone at the crossing, but those attempts have never proven fruitful.

City Council recently authorized entering into a preliminary engineering services agreement with BNSF that would have the city cover any costs that may incur during the review of the proposed zone. The estimated cost for the review is about $15,600.

Public Works Director Craig Workman said money has been set aside in the budget to hire a consultant to work with BNSF to establish a quiet zone.

“We are no stranger to train horns here in Whitefish,” he said. “Birch Point has been on a list of City Council goals for years to establish a quiet zone.”

Workman said as the city moves forward with the evaluation of the quiet zone crossing the next step is a diagnostic review with a representative from BSNF, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Montana Department of Transportation.

“Prior to that meeting with those involved, BNSF does require the city to enter into a preliminary engineering agreement,” he said. “The agreement requires the city to pay BNSF for all expenses they may incur during the design of the project, including direct and indirect labor, subcontractor costs and materials.”

Workman said the costs will relate to site visits, conceptual design review, developing cost estimates for construction, and reviewing or providing comments on preliminary layouts.

Going through a similar process, Columbia Falls has recently been working with BNSF to create a quiet zone there.

For actually constructing the quiet zone at Birch Point Drive, the cost estimate in 2015 was $800,000. If established, the city would also have to maintain the equipment for the crossing in the future.

Whitefish has three at-grade railroad crossings. Quiet zones were established in 2009 at State Park Road and East Second Street.