Caldwell council votes 5–1 to accept $400,000 bid for crossing upgrades and to establish railroad quiet zone
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Summary
The Caldwell City Council approved Resolution 095‑26 to accept a bid and allocate up to $400,000 for railroad crossing security features, then approved Resolution 096‑26 to establish a railroad quiet zone; Council President Register voted in opposition citing pedestrian and intersection safety concerns and urged additional measures.
The Caldwell City Council voted to accept a bid for railroad crossing security improvements and to establish a railroad quiet zone after two separate 5–1 votes at a special workshop meeting.
Councilor Dittenberg moved to consider Resolution 095‑26 to accept the bid and allocate up to $400,000 for the crossing work; the council approved that motion, with Council President Register voting in opposition. The mayor then brought forward Resolution 096‑26 to establish a quiet zone for the corridor; the council passed that motion by the same 5–1 margin, with Register again voting no.
Council President Register said he could not support moving forward without resolving safety and transparency concerns, and cited Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) scoring he said raised questions about specific crossings, particularly 21st Street and Stock Trail. Register told colleagues the FRA advised that removing horns increases incident risk unless offset by safety credits, and he urged pedestrian gates and an updated feasibility study before removing horn warnings.
“I will not be responsible for preventable harm in our community,” Council President Register said, arguing that data available to him showed at least one crossing (21st) had lower safety credits and that the corridor’s overall approval might not address vulnerabilities at that location.
City consultant Bruce Mills, the staff engineer who worked with FRA and Union Pacific on the corridor review, answered that the corridor is evaluated in total by FRA and that the plans submitted meet FRA requirements. “They would not have approved [us] if we did not meet all of their requirements,” Mills said, adding that Union Pacific also reviewed and approved the plans. Mills acknowledged local nuances at 21st and recommended further study of access and turning movements near the fairgrounds if the council proceeds.
Register recommended narrowing the quiet zone to the downtown corridor or requiring pedestrian crossing gates, and said pedestrian safety, first‑responder awareness and parking impacts are additional concerns. Other council members argued the engineers’ data and FRA sign‑offs support the project and said the improvements will help with safety and quality of life.
The council recorded the vote on the bid acceptance as 5 in favor and 1 opposed, with Council President Register in opposition; the same tally was recorded for the quiet‑zone resolution. The council did not record individual yes votes in the transcript aside from naming the dissenting vote. With both motions approved, staff will proceed with implementation and final railroad coordination per the terms of the resolutions.
The meeting record shows the bid acceptance as Resolution 095‑26 and the quiet‑zone action as Resolution 096‑26; the council allocated up to $400,000 for the crossing work under the accepted bid and approved the quiet‑zone establishment contingent on standards and specifications being met by the project engineer.
