The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCC 2019-01-04 Agendas M RH NOKTH ILIC:HLAND HILLS CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 4301 CITY POINT DRIVE NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX 76180 FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2019 SPECIAL MEETING: 8:00 A.M. A. CALL TO ORDER A.1 INVOCATION - COUNCIL MEMBER WRIGHT OUJESKY A.2 PLEDGE - COUNCIL MEMBER WRIGHT OUJESKY EXECUTIVE SESSION The City Council may enter into closed Executive Session as authorized by Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code. Executive Session may be held at the end of the Regular Session or at any time during the meeting that a need arises for the City Council to seek advice from the city attorney (551.071) as to the posted subject matter of this City Council meeting. The City Council may confer privately with its attorney to seek legal advice on any matter listed on the agenda or on any matter in which the duty of the attorney to the governmental body under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551, Texas Government Code. B. PUBLIC WORKS B.1 Approve Resolution 2019-001, establishing Quiet Zones at all railroad crossings within the city of North Richland Hills. C. ADJOURNMENT Certification Friday, January 4, 2019 Special City Council Agenda Page 1 of 2 I do hereby certify that the above notice of meeting of the North Richland Hills City Council was posted at City Hall, City of North Richland Hills, Texas in compliance with Chapter 551, Texas Government Code on FridayC- h 28, 2018 by 3:00 p.m. City Secretary This facility is wheelchair accessible and accessible parking spaces are available. Requests for accommodations or interpretive services must be made 48 hours prior to this meeting. Please contact the City Secretary's office at 817-427-6060 for further information. Friday, January 4, 2019 Special City Council Agenda Page 2 of 2 1q R.H NORTH KICHLAND HILLS CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM FROM: The Office of the City Manager DATE: January 4, 2019 SUBJECT: Approve Resolution 2019-001, establishing Quiet Zones at all railroad crossings within the city of North Richland Hills. PRESENTER: Caroline Waggoner, Director of Public Works SUMMARY: Approve a resolution establishing Quiet Zones at all railroad crossings within the city of North Richland Hills. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The TEXRail project is nearing completion, and the railroad improvements are largely in place. One of the key components of the construction within North Richland Hills was the retrofitting of each of our ten roadway crossings with safety features so that they can be designated as Quiet Zones by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Quiet Zone designation will prevent locomotive horns from being sounded when trains are approaching the crossings. Each of the ten crossings was evaluated several years ago, and a plan was developed to incorporate specific items to improve safety at each of these locations, both for motorists and pedestrians. Upgrading railroad crossings to qualify as quiet zones can vary from $200,000 for smaller roadways to in excess of $500,000 for larger roadways. The funding for the crossing improvements in North Richland Hills was included in TEXRail's project. Before the project, each of our ten crossings included basic items like gate arms to alert motorists of the presence of a train. In order for the railroad crossings in the city of NRH to qualify as quiet zones, Supplemental Safety Measures (SSMs) are required to be implemented at every crossing within our jurisdiction. These supplemental measures can include items such as non-traversable medians, and four-quadrant gates. Each location also has power-out indicators, additional roadway signage, constant warning circuitry and flashing lights. The intent is to make it as difficult as possible for motorists to unknowingly or knowingly place themselves at risk of a train collision. The installation and testing of the measures at each crossing has been underway for well over a year, but the final items like bollards in the median openings for the trail and channelizing delineators along some medians were not installed until December 2018. A Notice of Establishment was sent to the Federal Railroad Administration on December 13, 2018. The purpose of this document is to inform the FRA that all features are in place to complete the SSMs, and the city is seeking official Quiet Zone designation. The quiet zones will become effective no sooner than 21 days following the Notice of Establishment IgR.H NORTH KICHLAND HILLS being sent to the FRA. January 3, 2019 is the 21St day in that cycle; therefore, the Quiet Zones will go into effect on January 4, 2019, following City Council approval. TEXRail service is scheduled to commence on January 5, 2019. RECOMMENDATION: Approve Resolution 2019-001 establishing Quiet Zones at all railroad crossings within the city of North Richland Hills. RESOLUTION NO. 2019-001 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS, ESTABLISHING QUIET ZONES AT ALL RAILROAD CROSSINGS WITHIN NORTH RICHLAND HILLS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, The City of North Richland Hills has ten at-grade roadways that cross railroad right-of-way, and WHEREAS, the City has the right to establish Quiet Zones at each of the ten crossings within North Richland Hills under 49 CFR Part 222.39(a)(1 ) through the implementation of approved Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM's) in accordance with 49 CFR Part 222, Appendix A; and WHEREAS, the Federal Rail Administration defines a quiet zone as "a section of a rail line at least one-half mile in length that contains one or more consecutive public highway-rail grade crossings at which locomotive horns are not routinely sounded when trains are approaching the crossings" ("Quiet Zone"); and WHEREAS, the City has requested that TEXRail create Quiet Zones along the railroad right-of-way at the ten crossings over the railroad right-of-way, and WHEREAS, TEXRail has installed Supplemental Safety Measures as defined by the Federal Railroad Administration within the proposed Quiet Zone areas as a substitute for sounding locomotive audible warning devices by the railway carriers operating within the Quiet Zones; and WHEREAS, Notice of Intent and Notice of Establishment of a Quiet Zone were mailed in accordance with 49 CFR 222.43; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS, THAT: SECTION 1. The City Council hereby finds that the recitals set forth above are true and correct and are incorporated into this Resolution as if written herein. SECTION 2. A Quiet Zone is hereby created and established at each of the ten crossings within North Richland Hills through the implementation of approved Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM's) as set forth in Appendix A, attached hereto and incorporated herein. SECTION 3. The Quiet Zones shall be established at each railroad crossing location in the City of North Richland Hills as set forth in the attached Appendix B. SECTION 4. The Quiet Zones shall be effective as of January 4, 2019. Resolution No. 2019-001 Page 1 of 4 SECTION 5. This Resolution shall take effect and be in full force and effect from and after the date of its adoption, and it is so resolved; and all Resolutions of the City Council of the City in conflict herewith are hereby amended or repealed to the extent of such conflict. PASSED AND APPROVED on this 4th day of January, 2019. CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS By: Oscar Trevino, Mayor ATTEST: Alicia Richardson, City Secretary APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY: Maleshia B. McGinnis, City Attorney APPROVED AS TO CONTENT: Caroline Waggoner, Director of Public Works Resolution No. 2019-001 Page 2 of 4 APPENDIX A To Resolution No. 2019-001 This Quiet Zone is established under 49 CFR Part 222.39(a)(1) through the implementation of approved Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM's) in accordance with 49 CFR Part 222. The ten (10) crossings listed below shall have the following devices and appliances installed: • Audible electronic bells • Constant Warning Time circuitry • Flashing lights • Gates • Power-out indicators • Traffic signs and pavement markings in accordance with provisions of the US Department of Transportation Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for streets and highways. Dependent on location configuration and SSM's in use, each crossing location will have at a minimum one of the following: Four-quadrant gates with presence detection and exit gate escape features • Non-Traversable medians • Traversable medians with channelization devices and gates Location Configuration Information • Browning Drive — Gates with Median (SSM) • Rufe Snow Drive - Gates with Median (SSM) • Iron Horse Blvd - Gates with Median (SSM) • Mid-Cities Blvd - Gates with Median (SSM) • Holiday Lane — Four Quadrant Gate System (SSM) • Smithfield Road - Gates with Median (SSM) • Davis Boulevard - Gates with Median and Channelization Devices (SSM) • Main Street - Gates with Median (SSM) • Eden Road - Four Quadrant Gate System (SSM) • Precinct Line Road - Four Quadrant Gate System (SSM) Resolution No. 2019-001 Page 3 of 4 APPENDIX B To Resolution No. 2019-001 PUBLIC HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSINGS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE QUIET ZONES D.O.T. No. Street Name Mile Post Location 790197G Browning Drive 21 .41 789561V Rufe Snow 21 .93 900257V Iron Horse Blvd 22.53 788743D Mid-Cities Blvd 23.03 912036C Holiday Ln 23.23 789722N Smithfield Road 23.65 789724C Davis Blvd 23.89 789732U Main St 23.96 789726R Eden Rd 24.88 789727X Precinct Line Rd 25.49 Resolution No. 2019-001 Page 4 of 4