COLUMBUS, Ind. — The city of Columbus has hired former Louisville & Indiana Railroad president, John Secor, to help with the design of a“quiet zone” as railroad traffic increases in the city. The proposed zone would be from State Road 46 to 11th Street.
In a “quiet zone,” train engineers do not have to follow the Train Horn Rule. The Train Horn Rule states that locomotive engineers must sound horns at least 15 seconds, and no more than 20 seconds, in advance of rail crossings. Train horns must be between 96 and 110 decibels.
As work on the “quiet zone” continues, design work on the proposed overpass at State Road 46 is ongoing. The latest design would move the railroad to the west and establish a new crossing at Tellman Road, County Road 100N and Indianapolis Road. State Road 46 would shift to the south.
This proposal would eliminate the traffic signal at State Roads 46 and 11. The first traffic signal traveling into to town would be at Third Street. The first signal leaving town would be at State Road 46 and Carr Hill Road.
Initial cost estimates for the total project is around $94 million. The earliest that work could begin is in 2021.
