For Madeline West, her husband and others in her neighborhood, peace lasts every day from about 12:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.

This is the only time they can rest without constant interruptions from nearby railway crossings.

“It’s a typical night. Some nights there are more horns than others; some nights there are fewer,” she told Salt Lake City Council members Tuesday evening, while as she described her life experience over the past two months.

She lives near a federally approved zone where train operators don’t have to automatically honk their horns as long as cities and counties maintain safe enough crossings, called “quiet zones.” However, all quiet areas from Ogden to Provo were abruptly suspended at the end of September.

“The noise level, consistency and frequency of the train horns make it very difficult for us,” she said. “After six weeks, we start to feel the effects, as do many of our neighbors.”

That’s why she pleaded with the City Council to adopt a temporary road closure that could speed up the process needed to restore a quiet zone between Salt Lake City and Ogden, but the plan ran into opposition. small problem Tuesday. This comes as the city is close to resolving another issue that would restore a similar area to Provo in the coming weeks.

A temporary solution

Salt Lake City is set to consider closing 1000 West between South Temple and 15 South, where there is a railroad crossing next to Madsen Park. The city is working with Patriot Rail to help Rocky Mountain Power employees reach a substation in the area, while drivers could bypass the closure by using either South Temple or Folsom Avenue.

The closure would only be ordered if the Federal Railroad Administration determines that it is an appropriate action to restore the Woods Cross Quiet Zone – an area from Salt Lake City to Ogden – while the city works to improve the crossing. level to bring it back to federal code. Under federal law, each crossing must comply with a zone before the entire zone is restored.

Salt Lake City Engineer Mark Stephens said this appears to be the quickest way to remedy the situation after the city was caught off guard by the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision to suspend its two rail zones. silence at the end of September, when the city was in the midst of a crisis. plan necessary repairs.

Other Wasatch Front towns reported similar experiences at the time when the calm zones in the region were suspended.

“What the order does is help us preemptively have the ability to close the road if (the rail authority) says it’s OK,” Stephens explained during a meeting with executives from the city last week.

The Salt Lake problem

Salt Lake City Council members were ready to pass the emergency ordinance Tuesday night, but an “error of observation” prevented that from happening. Nick Tarbet, deputy director of the Salt Lake City Council’s legislative and policy department, said the city did not properly alert the Utah Department of Transportation and therefore did not give it enough time to review the proposal .

Staff noticed the problem earlier Tuesday, prompting the city to continue the hearing until Dec. 3 so the agency would have time to weigh in on the plan.

Tarbert doesn’t think the problem will delay the restoration of the Woods Cross quiet zone, as problems in other towns in the area still need to be resolved before train operators automatically honk their horns at every crossing.

Stephens said a similar problem was found in North Salt Lake, which is also being addressed. Both cities filed waivers with the federal government this month on the issue as they seek to reinstate the zone.

Any relief in sight?

Salt Lake City is the only city caught between two zones, as it is also the northern end of a quiet zone overseen by Lehi.

Lehi officials reported Wednesday that all but one of the crossings in its area had passed a federal inspection. The only exception is a commercial driveway at 1700 South in Salt Lake City, but that problem is about to be resolved.

Homeowners should choose an option to remedy the problem “over the next week,” followed by construction immediately thereafter, Lehi officials said. A final inspection could take place shortly thereafter.

“Once the final inspection is complete, train horns will be silenced,” the city wrote in a statement.

It is unclear when a similar ruling will be made in the Woods Cross area. However, those living alongside the tracks are impatiently awaiting this moment.

“Anything we can do to restore areas of calm as quickly as possible will have a positive impact on the health, well-being and safety of our affected communities,” she said.