The Kansas City Southern railroad crossing at Gus Thomasson Road. Photography by Sam Gillespie
The Dallas City Council unanimously authorized a construction contract to complete remaining street improvements needed to implement quiet zones near railroad crossings in East Dallas.
The agreement with Axis Contracting is not to exceed $479,493. About 70 percent of the funds will come from a federal transportation grant. The remaining 30 percent will come from the 2017 City of Dallas bond program.
Construction will begin in March and conclude in August.
The construction is a precursor for application to the Federal Railroad Administration for the designation of a quiet zone.
The supplemental safety measures, including railroad signal controls and street improvements, are required at the following nine Kansas City Southern Railway crossings: Lakeland Drive, Santa Anna Avenue, Barnes Bridge Road, Centerville Road, Gus Thomasson Road, Peavy Road, Mariposa Drive, Saint Francis Avenue and Highland Drive.
The City Council’s decision to authorize the contract comes about seven or eight months after it executed an agreement with Kansas City Southern to carry out $1.88 million in quiet zone improvements at the same crossings.
Once the railroad administration approves the work, a quiet zone is established, and the locomotive engineer must refrain from using the train horn — except in emergencies.
