TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Loud and lumbering trains have been a part of downtown Tampa for decades. It’s the loud part that is causing sleep interruption for the city’s growing downtown population.
As the number of condos and apartments have increased, so have the complaints about train noise. Train horns blast between 96 and 100 decibels. That’s louder than a jet taking off, or a jackhammer.
The federal government requires train engineers to sound their horns for 15 to 20 seconds when crossing an intersection. That’s great for safety, but not so nice for downtown residents trying to sleep at 1 a.m.Last year, Tampa was awarded a grant to deal with the problem.
The city council approved funding to match the grant and a $2.7 million project was approved to establish quiet zones in downtown Tampa.
At that time, Tampa officials announced the project would be completed by October of 2016.
The city says in order to silence the train horn, nine rail crossings will need to be upgraded. The crossings are located in downtown Tampa along Polk Street from Gasparilla Plaza to North Jefferson Street. The upgrades will include additional gating, street medians, and signage in order to meet the quiet zone requirements established by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Jean Duncan with the City of Tampa says the engineering and design phase of the project is not complete and now estimates the project will not be complete until 2017.The City of Clearwater recently established train quiet zones.
