No Railroad Quiet Zones in Sturtevant

Sturtevant trustees Tuesday decided not to declare railroad quiet zones in the village.

Board members at the continual committee meeting discussed whether or not quiet zones at railroad crossings on Durand Avenue and at Braun Road would make sense for Sturtevant. 

But, Police Chief Sean Marschke told Public Safety and Health Committee members that he is against quiet zones for safety reasons.

"There's just too much traffic at those two spots with vehicles and trains," he told Patch Wednesday. "Especially since there is more than one track, there's always the danger that one train could block the approach of another."

Additionally, there are significant steps to take - some of them costly - to establish quiet zones.

"Approval through the Federal Railroad Administration requires a lot of paperwork and meeting certain conditions," Sturtevant Administrator Mary Cole confirmed. "It can get expensive, too, but the committee chose to take the chief's advice so we aren't considering quiet zones any further."

The City of Wauwatosa recently received permission from the FRRA to reinstate two quiet zones this week after updating the crossings at two intersections.

Marschke thinks the noise from train horns is a small price to pay if that means keeping people safe. He noted that he helped investigate two fatal accidents at the Durand Avenue crossing and that a young boy in Wauwatosa just last year was killed on his way to school crossing the tracks.

"They're loud, but that's the whole point," he stated.