Yorkville moves toward ‘no train horn zone’ along the northern BNSF rail line

Shaw Local

While a train’s lonesome sound has inspired the musical likes of Johnny Cash, on the north end of Yorkville, residents have long called the blaring horn a nuisance.

Steps are being taken to create two quiet zones in town, both through the downtown Hydraulic District and further north where the town stretches into Bristol.

Yorkville has reached an agreement with the BNSF Railway Company for a $28,099 engineering study to complete the quiet zone evaluation along the BNSF line.

The railroad crossings along the BNSF tracks in northern Yorkville currently have gates. Plastic delineator strips will be used to create 'Quiet Zones' with signs instructing trains to refrain from using their horns. (Provided by Yorkville Public Works Committee)

Mayor John Purcell said this project is completely separate from the downtown quiet zone evaluation.

“This is for the BNSF, which is the northern one that goes through Yorkville and Bristol,” Purcell said during the Oct. 14 city council meeting. “It will cover Mill Road, Kennedy Road and Beecher Road. The county has already done Cannonball Trail through Bristol. At the end of this we are hoping to have a no train horn zone. It’ll make it a little quieter up there.”

Purcell said the project is projected to take between 12-18 months.

According to a previous engineering assessment, the entire project is estimated to cost below $100,000 because there is a small number of railroad crossings to work on.

All crossings along the BNSF line currently feature gates. Plastic delineators minimizing noise and signs instructing trains not to use their horns will be put in place. Medians and channelization devices will be installed to offset safety concerns.

The quiet zone project in the downtown area is more complicated because there is a greater number of pedestrian crossings.

The rail line running through the downtown is owned by Illinois RailNet. They recently repaired the rough track crossing along Illinois Route 47 and Hydraulic Avenue in the middle of downtown.

The plans to quiet the downtown tracks include installing the plastic delineator strips and reducing pedestrian track crossings to redirect foot traffic. All eligible crossings in the downtown must have gates installed.

While noise is to be limited, trains in both the downtown and northern location will still be able to sound their horns to ensure public safety.