SPENCER, Wis (WSAU) — Hearing the sound of train horns in the middle of the night will soon be a thing of the past in Spencer. Village administrator Thaddeus Kubisiak says the train horns will go quiet starting July 14th following the completion of numerous crossing upgrades, and approval by the Federal Railroad Administration of a railroad “quiet zone” in Spencer. A 21-day notification period is also required by the F.R.A. before the quiet zones will actually go into effect mid-month.
Three railroad crossings were impacted in order for the city to get that quiet zone designation, including the complete closure of the Main Street crossing and the addition of extensive new safety measures at LaSalle Street. According to Kubisiak, “We put a 100 foot non-traversable median on the north side as well as the south side of the tracks, so that a car cannot somehow go around and try and get around the crossing gate arms.”
More than 40 trains sound their horns as they go through Spencer every day and Kubisiak says it’s been one of the city’s biggest issue for years, often disrupting the lives of the city’s more than 2,000 residents. The village administrator does want to warn residents, however, that the quiet zone designation can quickly be revoked if safety violations at the crossing occur.
by Terry Pezl
