A plan to establish a zone at the Walnut and City of Industry border that would keep trains from blowing their horns continues to chug along but won’t be firmly in place until July.

The City of Industry started construction on the estimated $2 million project several months ago. Projects to ready the area slated for a quiet zone designation have included the addition of gates to the crossing at Fairway Drive and Lemon Avenue and the installation of raised medians at the Brea Canyon Road crossing.

The Industry City Council two weeks ago unanimously approved a $45,138 supplemental agreement with Union Pacific Railroad for the installation of an automatic flashing light crossing signal at Brea Canyon Road crossing.

Industry City Engineer John Ballas said the council’s action was the final piece needed for the portion of the quiet zone at Brea Canyon Road.

David Gilbertson, Walnut’s city engineer, gave an update to his City Council two weeks ago on the progress of the project.  Gilbertson said some concrete panel work at Brea Canyon is expected to be completed by the beginning of April. 

The City of Industry has applied with the Federal Railroad Administration to designate the crossings at Brea Canyon Road and Valley, Old Benton Way, and Lemon and Fairway as quiet zones. That would exempt train operators from the federal requirement that they blow their horns at railroad crossings where there are cross streets level with the tracks.

Gilbertson said once the last of the improvements are made and the federal officials give the project a final inspection, approval could take 60 to 90 days.  That would put the quiet zone in effect around July 1, he said.

Walnut Councilman Antonio “Tony” Cartagena said in July that the city has been pushing for this for several years. 

“In my three times as mayor, we have always worked on this,” Cartagena said.  “Residents can hear the horns down to the 10 freeway and up in the hills of Walnut.”