Our Quiet Zone is Stuck
We are stuck for the following reason:
There are driveways (mostly industrial) within 100ft of almost every intersection between Florida and Iowa. In order to get a quiet zone instituted, you generally need to place a 100ft long median (sometimes can be reduced to 60ft) at each entrance to the rail intersection. However, if there is a driveway near the tracks, especially an industrial driveway that needs to provide access to large vehicles, this makes the median impossible.
The only way to get around this is to install "wayside horns" at each intersection where a median is not possible (5 total). These are small horns installed at the intersection that honk directly at incoming traffic. This means only nearby cars and neighbors hear it as opposed to the sound traveling for miles. Cost estimate is approximately $60,000 -$125,000 per intersection.
If we get funding for this, it would take at least 3 years to get the medians, install wayside horns, and apply for a quiet zone.
The other issue to consider is that the Lone Star Rail project has plans to reroute Union Pacific. However, it is not clear if this affects our noisy trains, and how long this project will take.