COLLEGE STATION, Texas —
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously approved $4.5 million for construction of the railroad quiet zone project next to main campus on Thursday.
The $5 million project will silence train horns along 1.7 miles of the Union Pacific Railroad corridor near the Texas A&M University campus.
The quiet zone will be at F&B Road, Old Main Drive, John Kimbrough Boulevard and George Bush Drive, but safety improvements will need to be made before that can happen.
Usually train engineers are required by law to sound a train's horn within 100 feet of any intersection. But within quiet zones, they do not sound the horns when approaching public highway crossings.
For enhanced safety, the city will be channelizing vehicle and pedestrian travel paths, adding median gates and installing a wayside horn, which is a loudspeaker system with a smaller sound that points directly at approaching vehicles.
They are also planning to enhance pedestrian safety and eliminate rail crossings at Wellborn Road, which will require adjustments to the underground passageway and will allow for more access and eliminate pedestrian crossings along John Kimbrough Boulevard
Texas A&M officials state that establishing the quiet zone is critical to public safety, academic excellence and quality of life at Texas A&M University.
Construction is anticipated to begin this June and be complete by August 2021.