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Bryan council directs staff to pursue closing two downtown crossings to accelerate quiet‑zone work
Summary
After a multi‑year quiet‑zone effort, staff recommended closing the 15th and 22nd Street railroad crossings rather than expensive roadway modifications; council voiced consensus to close the two crossings to speed Phase 2 and secure TxDOT and Union Pacific incentives.
City staff updated the council on the downtown quiet‑zone project and asked for direction on whether to keep open or close the 15th and 22nd Street railroad crossings as the city advances Phase 2 design.
Eric Blackburn (speaker 12), presenting the project history and Phase 2 plans, said the city has completed Phase 1 and must address remaining crossings and updated traffic counts to resubmit the public authority application (PAA). He explained the design change to wayside horns (estimated at about $300,000 per crossing) in lieu of quad gates (estimated about $2.5 million) to reduce cost and complexity.
Staff outlined the site constraints: 15th Street has been closed for ~10 years after a heavy truck damaged planking; both 15th and 22nd lack lane width and would require substantial roadway raising and right‑of‑way work to remain open, with preliminary keep‑open cost estimates of roughly $1.0 million (15th) and $1.9 million (22nd) excluding Union Pacific‑specific costs. By contrast, closing those crossings would cost materially less in construction materials (~$200,000) and could make the remainder of the quiet‑zone work move forward faster; staff noted possible funding participation from TxDOT Section 130 and Union Pacific (staff cited up to $100,000 from TxDOT and up to 25% fence participation from Union Pacific).
Several council members explicitly supported closure to expedite the project. Councilman Edge said he was “100% in favor” of closing the two crossings; other council members agreed and directed staff that, if council decides to keep 15th closed, staff should remove the median there so local turning movements are restored. Staff said closure plans for 15th and 22nd have been approved previously by Union Pacific and that resubmitting the PAA and drafting closure agreements would be the next steps; staff estimated a full quiet‑zone could be achieved by 2029 if the city follows the outlined schedule and obtains necessary agreements.
Council did not take a formal roll‑call vote in the excerpted discussion but gave clear direction to proceed with closure as the preferred option to keep the project on schedule.
