Published in the June 29, 2021 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — It will be at least another 60 days before the Broadway railroad crossing can be reopened, Town Engineer Bill Renault told the Town Council last night. This hopefully final leg of the delay is due to a federally-mandated 60-day appeal period.
Despite the knowledge that it will likely be around Labor Day before the Broadway crossing can re-open, Renault and Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio expressed optimism that light can finally be seen at the end of the tunnel.
The Broadway crossing was closed last year to allow National Grid and the town to do some needed infrastructure work. But when the work was done and the town sought approval from the Federal Railroad Administration to re-open the crossing, they learned that the FRA had deemed that the town was not in sufficient compliance with safety measures at its railroad crossings to maintain its “Quiet Zone” status.
A Quiet Zone means that trains will not sound their horns as a warning when approaching road crossings. To be a Quiet Zone, a community must implement sufficient other safety measures so that sounding horns is deemed unnecessary. The FRA sets the safety standards required for Quiet Zone status.
Since last November, the only way for the town to remain under the threshold and keep its Quiet Zone status has been to keep the Broadway crossing closed.
Over the ensuing months, Town Engineer Bill Renault had been submitting proposal after proposal to the FRA for supplemental safety measures at various railroad crossings in town in an effort to get sufficient safety credits to allow the Broadway crossing to be re-opened. It has been a frustrating back and forth exercise as neighbors and residents have become increasingly impatient with the seeming lack of progress.
But Renault told the Town Council that last week he was finally able to speak directly to the person at the FRA who reviews all Quiet Zones. As a result of that Zoom meeting and a subsequent follow-up, Renault said that he now feels that the town was “in a better spot than a couple of weeks ago.”
He said that he believes consensus had been reached with the Quiet Zone reviewer and he sent an informal submittal to the FRA last Wednesday and has not yet heard back. He said that he is ready to send the formal submittal as soon as he gets the OK from the FRA. Once the FRA receives that submittal, the 60-day appeal period begins.
Renault had hoped to avoid the 60-day appeal period given all the delays thus far, but was informed last week that the appeal period won’t be waived.
To shorten the wait as much as possible, Renault said that the town would likely use the appeal period to do the needed work at its own risk, even before the FRA gives formal approval for the proposed measures.
Maio commended Renault for his “yeoman’s work” and said that the goal is now to get the crossing open by Labor Day and the start of school in the fall.
Town Councilor Edward Dombroski stressed that the town has no control over the 60-day appeal period dictated by the federal government.
