MIAMI —The Quiet Zone established in Miami-Dade County will officially take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 8, along the Florida East Coast (FEC) railway, from NE 79 Street to County Line Road. This Quiet Zone will be an extension of the existing Quiet Zone, currently in effect from PortMiami to NE 79 Street within the City of Miami.
All 19 crossings along the tracks within the new Quiet Zone parameters received safety upgrades. Five crossings were improved with Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM), which allowed the County to qualify for the Quiet Zone. The $1.1 million safety measures were funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and completed by Brightline in mid-2018.
Once construction of the SSM was completed and the Board of County Commissioner (BCC) gave its approval to proceed, the County petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to establish the Quiet Zone through a Notice of Establishment (NOE), which requires 21-day period before the Quiet Zone can go into effect.
In preparation for this, “No Train Horn” signs are being installed along the tracks and at crossings, advising motorist and pedestrians. Although conductors will no longer be required to sound their horns at each crossing, they may still sound the horns if they perceive an emergency on or near the tracks. The public is advised to always use designated railroad crossings when traversing tracks and to obey all signs.
One-on-one interviews with Department of Transportation and Public Work’s Director Alice N. Bravo, P.E. will be available on Tuesday, July 2 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., upon request.
