Brookfield wins FRA approval for Springdale quiet zone; Pewaukee to coordinate Duplainville review

Pewaukee staff updated the Public Works Committee that the city of Brookfield has received Federal Railroad Administration approval to create a quiet zone at the Springdale Road crossing and that Brookfield plans to complete intersection improvements before the county’s paving project this year.

The staff member said Brookfield “just got FRA approval, to complete that” and that the improvements will likely be done before fall, after which Brookfield will adopt the quiet zone. Staff warned that FRA enactment typically takes about two months after the final application is submitted and noted Brookfield’s FRA review took about 20 months; Pewaukee’s Wire Road review is at month 12.

Committee members discussed whether to pursue Duplainville (Plainville) Road independently or wait to treat crossings as a corridor. Staff said Duplainville has few improvements and could be pulled out of a larger package and submitted for review sooner. The committee noted that certain crossings (Wire Road and Watertown Plank Road) will be more expensive because county-required improvements and column requirements increase costs.

Staff also described project costs and tradeoffs: moving an existing signal could cost roughly $250,000, while curb/center island improvements were estimated at about $75,000. Committee members asked whether the county needs to sign the quiet-zone letter; staff said the city or Brookfield can submit the final request once intersection improvements are complete and that a county letter is not required for submission.

No formal vote was taken. Staff said they would likely time the Duplainville submission to coincide with Brookfield’s Springdale application so the railroad can review both crossings within the same corridor review window.