House passes Wallace legislation to allow communities to address railroad crossing issues

Neighborhoods along Old Evergreen Highway could soon have option to control train noise

March 9, 2009

Olympia – It’s a problem many neighborhoods located alongside railroads experience – unsafe railroad crossings and high levels of noise. This is the case for the neighborhoods along the Old Evergreen Highway where the frequent, high pitch of train whistles have become more than a nuisance.

That’s why State Rep. Deb Wallace (D-Vancouver) introduced legislation to give cities and towns the ability to create local improvement districts (LIDs) to construct railroad crossing devices that eliminate the need for trains to sound their horns at crossings. The House of Representatives tonight approved her legislation, HB 1081.

“Railroad crossing repairs and improvements can be incredibly expensive – as much as $200,000,” says Wallace. “By allowing communities to vote to create an improvement district to raise local dollars for those local projects, neighborhoods have a way to improve safety and reduce noise along their railroad.”

In many places, including along the Old Evergreen Highway, trains are required to sound their horns at crossings that do not have the requisite crossing protections. Under Wallace’s legislation, LID funding can be used to pay for the construction, maintenance and repair of railroad crossing protection devices, meaning trains will no longer have to sound their horns.

HB 1081 passed the House 69-26 and now moves to the Senate for approval.