Transportation
BY JACOB VAUGHN
Years ago, several Flower Mound residents applied for a quiet zone in the western part of town near Cross Timbers Road and U.S. 377 to silence horns of passing trains. In July, representatives with the Federal Rail- road Administration, the Union Paci c Railroad, the Texas Department of Transportation and the town of Flower Mound met for an update on the proposed quiet zone. Flower Mound o cials have engaged with a contractor to help them through the quiet zone process, Matt Hotelling, Flower Mound’s assistant director of public works and transporta- tion, said. Hotelling said the process was initiated so that residents in the area can “sleep through the night,” since some residents live just a few hundred feet from the railway crossing where train operators are currently required to sound their horns. The overview According to the Union Paci c Railroad, trains are required by federal law to sound their horns at least 20 seconds before entering public crossings. In quiet zones, horns can’t be used unless there is an emergency, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Train operators can also sound their horns in quiet zones when it is to comply with federal regulations or railroad operating rules. Quiet zone in the works for west Flower Mound
CANYON FALLS DR.
Argyle
Flower Mound
Roanoke
377
The public railroad crossing sits near a residential area in West Flower Mound.
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JACOB VAUGHN COMMUNITY IMPACT
These quiet zones must be at least half a mile long. In quiet zones, there must be at least one public highway-rail grade crossing and all public grade crossings must have automatic warning devices, according to TxDOT. Diving deeper The town has also been informed that the quiet zone application will have to go through the Public Authority Application process because the speed limit on Cross Timbers Road, where the quiet zone would be situated, exceeds 40 miles per hour. Representatives with the Union Paci c Railroad also informed town sta that the process could take up to 16 months to complete. Additionally, a local inspector for the Federal Railroad Administration informed town sta that there is no guarantee that the quiet zone will be approved because the speed limit on Cross Timbers Road is 50 miles per hour.
Quiet zone details
Train operators can’t sound horns Must be at least 0.5 miles long
Requires at least one public highway-rail grade crossing The zone has to comply with the Texas Manual on Uniform Tra c Control Devices
SOURCE: FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
What’s next? Assuming all the Federal Railroad Administration and Public Authority Application process require- ments are met, there would still be another ve to six months before the quiet zone would be active. In the meantime, trains passing through the area will continue to use standard crossing protocols, which will likely include blowing the train horn.
Rippy Road construction nears completion in Flower Mound
The project begins at the intersection of Pecan Meadows Drive and extends south and east to about 300 feet west of FM 2499. Individuals driving through the area are encouraged to use Waketon Road as an alternate route or expect tra c delays. The details The roadway surface is being changed from asphalt to concrete. Once complete, Rippy Road will be a two-lane concrete urban collector, which is a type of road designed for higher speeds and more tra c than residential roads. The town has partnered with contractors to do
the work one segment at a time so the whole road didn’t have to be shut down. The construction work also includes an enclosed stormwater collection system to improve stormwa- ter collection, as well as 2,000 linear feet of 12-inch water line, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Construction crews began laying concrete for the project in November. The project is expected to be complete in Febru- ary 2025, said Melissa Demmitt, Flower Mound’s director of communications. It costs about $9.25 million and is being paid for with water impact fees and funds from a tax increment reinvestment zone.
WAKETON RD.
COLLEGE PKWY.
PECAN MEADOWS DR.
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FLOWER MOUND HIGHLAND VILLAGE ARGYLE EDITION
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