By THOR KAMBAN
BIBERMAN,
The Daily Transcript
In a 6-2 vote
earlier this week,
the San Diego City
Council voted to
approve a "quiet
zone" that would
prevent train
operators from
blasting their horns
late at night while
rolling through
downtown.
But while the $20.9
million project
itself has
redevelopment
dollars, funding the
$60,000 annual
maintenance cost is
problematic.
"As it stands, this
is an ongoing cost
that will come out
of the city's
general fund," said
Tom Aaron,
Councilman Carl
DeMaio's deputy
chief of staff.
DeMaio and
Councilwoman Donna
Frye voted against
the legislation.
DeMaio has said it
would be imprudent
to spend the
maintenance funds at
a time when the city
has a projected $72
million budget
deficit.
Derek Danziger, a
Centre City
Development Corp.
spokesman, said the
creation of an
assessment district
might be one way of
addressing this
expense, and that
frustration may be
at a high enough
level for people to
tax themselves for
the peace and quiet.
The quiet zone will
cover the downtown
railroad tracks
between the southern
extent of Park
Boulevard near Petco
Park and Laurel
Street in the Little
Italy area.
Improvements --
ranging from
signalization to
lights to gates
medians and other
barriers -- will go
across 12 downtown
street
intersections, plus
adjacent to where a
new pedestrian
bridge that will
soon span Harbor
Drive, will land
near Petco Park.
Under the federal
definition, a quiet
zone is at least
half a mile long,
must have flashing
lights and signs to
keep people and cars
back.
In San Diego's case,
the zone will be
roughly a mile long.
"This will be one of
the largest quiet
zones in the United
States," Danziger
said.
The battle between
residents and trains
has been an ongoing.
The Federal Railroad
Administration had
originally
considered quiet
zone legislation in
2001.
"The final rule was
implemented in
2005," Danziger
recalled.
The Burlington
Northern & Santa Fe
Railway (NYSE:
BNI) had considered
a quiet zone program
for downtown in
2003, but the city
elected to wait
until the federal
rules were codified.
About 30,000 people
currently live
downtown -- a figure
the Centre City
Development Corp.
says could triple
between now and
2030.
Residents of Little
Italy and the Marina
District have been
particularly vocal
about trains.
Just how loud are
the horns? Until a
quiet zone is
established, federal
rules allow the
trains to blast in a
range of 96 to 110
decibels as measured
100 feet in front of
the locomotive and
15 feet above the
rail.
Residents haven't
been the only ones
complaining.
Danziger noted that
hotel executives
from the Omni to the
San Diego Marriott &
Marina have
mentioned the noise
during recent
council meetings.
Burlington Northern
is far from being
the only train that
will be impacted by
the quiet zone,
Amtrak, the San
Diego & Imperial
Valley Railroad
and the San Diego
Trolley also share
the track among
several other users
here.
"We have to
coordinate with each
of them," Danziger
said.
Project construction
is expected to begin
some time in August,
with completion
slated for November
2011.
West Coast
General Corp.,
of Poway and
Temecula, is the
general contractor.
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San
Diego Quiet Zone
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