Rountree Neighbors Sound Off on Proposed 'Quiet Zone' Street Closures

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A lot of people in Springfield are fed up with train whistles going off at all hours of the night.

That's why Tuesday night the City of Springfield brainstormed ideas to keep things a little quieter in one Center City neighborhood.

Federal regulations require the horns unless certain safety measures are in place. So, the city hosted a public meeting to discuss a possible "Railway Quiet Zone" in the Rountree neighborhood.

"People run them because there are no crossings to stop them once they hear that train," said neighbor Brian Rushing. "It's a continuous blast all the way."

Rushing lives at Cherry Street and Weller Avenue. He says cars race through neighborhood streets trying to beat the trains.

"They're lacking common sense. I mean, this is evidence of it. There was 4 inches of a round post -- wooden post -- in concrete will still get hit."

Residents heard from the City of Springfield, BNSF Railway Company, and the Missouri Department of Transportation about solutions.

City leaders sent letters to more than 500 people living near the tracks to get their input.

"We first had to come up with a concept that we agreed to so we would get the funding from BNSF and MoDOT," says Ralph Rognstad Jr.,  Director of Planning and Development. "Now we want to get concerns from the neighborhood."

To create quiet zones at the crossings at issue, gates and raised medians would be installed at Walnut, Elm and Cherry Street crossings. But the plan also means closing some streets at the crossings like Weller, Delaware and Madison.

Pat Springer also lives along Weller near Cherry. She does not want to see streets closed.

"When we all moved here, we knew there's trains going through and that's our main artillery. I just think it would look tacky."

The City will fund some of the $950,000 worth of improvements. But a majority of the funding will come from the other parties involved (MoDOT and BNSF).

Part of proposal includes a recommendation to temporarily close those streets to monitor traffic in the area and see what neighbors think.

There are no dates set for the next meeting.

Previous Report:
Meeting Set to Discuss Railroad Quiet Zone for Rountree Area