The City of Parkville is moving forward with plans to seek funding for wayside train horns in downtown Parkville.
Last month, aldermen approved a resolution to approve an application for the Mid-America Regional Council’s (MARC) federal transportation aid for funding for wayside horns.
City administrator Alexa Barton said the approval was part of a larger process, where the city had been in touch with community partners as well as the county and health department. The Parkville Main Street Association and Park University also support the plan.
The application seeks wayside horn improvements at Main Street and East Street at the railroad tracks.
Approximately 36 trains per day travel the BNSF Railroad tracks, according to a staff report, and over the years, the location of the railroad tracks through downtown has had negative impacts, including significant horn and train noise, vibration and blocking access in and out of English Landing Park and English Landing Center.
In 2022, the city held several work sessions to review the process for establishing a quiet zone in downtown. This ultimately led to the execution of a preliminary engineering services agreement with BNSF in the amount of $16,315 for the Quiet Zone Project to initiate the process for implementing quiet zone infrastructure. The purpose of the diagnostic review/assessment was to bring multiple parties together to examine the existing conditions of the railroad crossings, associated risk document immediate safety concerns and future infrastructure considerations for improvement prior to any Notice of Intent for implementation of quiet zone or wayside horn infrastructure.
In late 2022, representatives from the city, BNSF, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and Benesch (BNSF’s third-party consultant) conducted the assessment at the Main Street and East Street intersections with the railroad tracks. Representatives from the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) were also involved. At the diagnostic review/assessment, the consensus from all parties involved was that wayside horn infrastructure would be the most suitable option for reducing the volume of locomotive horn noise at the railroad crossings through downtown Parkville.
Wayside horns replace the noise from train horns (the overall sound is greatly reduced) and are positioned at railroad crossings to direct sound down the road. When a train approaches, the wayside horn activates and directs sound down the road. To utilize wayside horns, railroad crossings must still have flashing lights, gates, constant warning time devices and power out indicators. While wayside horns do not eliminate warning noise, they are less costly and there is a reduction of noise over what is currently required by trains when approaching crossings.
In early 2024, MARC issued its call for projects for 2027-2028 sub-allocated Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funding. MARC’s biennial call for projects is a competitive process for communities across the Kansas City metropolitan region, as it provides the opportunity for applicants to receive federal-aid transportation funding up to a maximum of 80 percent federal share with a required local match of at least 20 percent.
The estimated cost of implementing wayside horn infrastructure at the Main St. and East St. railroad crossings in downtown Parkville is $675,000. The city would request $540,000 in federal funding (80% federal match component); and if awarded, the city would be required to contribute $135,000 in local match (20% local match component) as well as $2,700 for the MARC project fee. This amounts to a total city commitment of $137,700.