Starting this week, it’ll be a little harder to get to the other side of the tracks.

The city will close railroad crossings Monday on Mitchell Avenue and Monterey Street between Fourth and Sixth streets as part of the plan to implement a Downtown quiet zone. The closures, along with upgrades to the crossings on Fourth and Francis streets, will allow trains to pass through Downtown without blowing their horn.

Jim Gardner, traffic supervisor for the city, said steel guardrails will prevent vehicles from reaching the tracks, creating dead ends from either direction. Other measures will make the crossing impassable for vehicles that try to cross anyway.

“The concrete will be ripped out between the tracks in case someone tries to go around,” Mr. Gardner said.

In addition, pavement will be removed between the barricades and the railroad.

Chris Gilmore, vice president of Seaman & Schuske Metal Works, initially feared the railroad crossing closings would hurt his business. The company’s employees frequently cross at Mitchell Avenue to fuel vehicles on Sixth Street, and for loading and receiving shipments.

The company fought the closures, but Mr. Gilmore credits the city for minimizing the impact on his business. The city gave Seaman & Schuske $10,000 to build a new door that establishes access to Fourth Street.

Mr. Gilmore said he also received assurances that the city would keep at least one lane open when constructing new crossings on Fourth and Francis streets so his business could use the crossings. Otherwise, Mr. Gilmore said he would have to detour south to Hickory Street to cross the railroad.

Seaman & Schuske was founded more than 140 years ago and has operated since 1938 at its current location, Fourth and Mitchell streets.

“It’s going to provide an obstacle to the way we do business, but we’re going to adapt and work around it,” Mr. Gilmore said.

The quiet zone project will not cost the city a single dollar. The Missouri Department of Transportation will pay a portion of the costs, while credits from BNSF Railway Co. for closing the three crossings will cover the city’s share of the bill.

The City Council approved the quiet zone project in May.

Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com .