MELBOURNE, Fla. — Brightline trains pass through Brevard County 32 times per day and many those railroad crossing are in the City of Melbourne.
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That means hours of horn blasts for area residents.
Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey told WFTV, “It’s very loud and it’s constant. So, it’s a quality-of-life issue within the city of Melbourne and many, many, many of our residents, they want the quiet zone. So, if we can get these upgrades done, that’s something that we can approach.”+
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Alfrey told Channel 9 that the city is pursuing federal grants with the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization to make improvements like quad gates at additional crossings that would put the city in a better position to apply for the quiet zone designation through the Federal Railroad Administration.
Melbourne resident, Martha Heaton said, “It’s done, and we just must live with it. But we could really appreciate having a quiet zone. It was quieter before bright line, and I would appreciate it being quiet.”
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Only local governments and public agencies can establish a quiet zone.
An assessment must be done to assess the risk of collision at any crossing, where a local government wishes to silence a horn.
Alfrey said it will take time and coordination, “Unfortunately, you know, we’re dealing with different entities, state and federal, the federal government, so we’re just trying to get things moving as fast as we can. And of course, it’s about funding. It’s about making sure these intersections are safe. I mean, with the upgrades and the safety crossing gate. So again, we want to have a quiet I would like a quiet zone with safe intersections.”
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