San Diego finishes railroad crossing improvements to restore downtown quiet zone

The city of San Diego announced Friday that it has completed the work needed to restore its temporarily suspended "quiet zone" designation, which has resulted in loud train horns disrupting residents downtown for more than a week.

The Federal Railroad Association (FRA) lifted the city's quiet zone because of safety concerns. Since then, trains have had to sound their horns when approaching crossings in the downtown area. NBC 7's tip line was blowing up with complaints about the noise from those who live near the train tracks.

“It's been really rough. It really echoes down through these streets," Daniel Perry, a downtown resident, told NBC 7 when the quiet zone was first lifted.

The railroad crossings were not unsafe, but some were not within guidelines, according to the FRA. A spokesperson with the agency said local governments must add safety measures in quiet zones since the trains aren't blowing their horns, adding that San Diego has failed to do so for the last year.

In a statement emailed to NBC 7, the FRA wrote, in part, "Not every public crossing within the quiet zone had the required supplementary safety measures. Not all crossings were in compliance with the requirements on highway-rail grade crossings. Paperwork documenting grade crossing inventories and safety devices was incomplete."

The temporary suspension of the city's quiet zone is expected to end once the city adequately implements the required safety measures and shows proof, the FRA said.

As of Friday, the city has finished installing more than 120 railroad crossing signs and improving 12 intersections, according to a press release. The FRA inspected the improvements on Thursday.

City of San Diego

The city also submitted a traffic survey after collecting data on the number of vehicles that enter the crossing daily. That and other required documentation went to the FRA for review.

The FRA still has to approve the improvements and provide a notice of the reinstatement before the quiet zone gets restored.

No date for when the quiet zone will be restored was immediately available.