Harwood Quiet Zone Improvements

Background

The City of Harwood, ND, is located just outside of Fargo, ND, and has three rail crossings located within city limits at Country Road (CR) 22, Ames Avenue, and Ted Avenue. The train whistles have caused disruptions and irritation to local residents. The whistles are blown at all hours of the day, and the City requested an analysis to determine if a quiet zone could be implemented.

The Project

The City retained Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI) to provide design and construction observation for the implementation of a quiet zone project.

HEI worked closely with the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (Metro COG) (who prepared the initial quiet zone request for the City), the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), Cass County, and BNSF Railway to ensure that all American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), BNSF, and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements were met.

This project was especially complex in that it involved the City, a county road, the NDDOT, Metro COG, and the railroad.

HEI successfully designed the project and prepared plans and specifications while coordinating with all the public and private stakeholders. The FRA completed the quiet zone inspection and commented that it was one of the smoothest quiet zone projects they have been a part of.

This project relied heavily on public and private stakeholder engagement to ensure its success.

This project eliminated train whistles throughout the city while maintaining safety standards at rail crossings.