Railroad Crossing Improvements

03/09/2020 Update

Along the northern railroad corridor, construction of the crossing gates at O Street and 35th and 59th avenues along the Great Western Railway should wrap up near the end of the month — however, they will not go into use until April when the electrical connections get hooked up.

Work along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near downtown Greeley is on hold, waiting for paperwork from the railroad company.

Project Background

The City of Greeley is working to improve safety at local railroad crossings along the north and east railroad corridors— and implement a Quiet zone along the city’s eastern railroad corridor.

Officials are working to improve railroad crossings along Great Western’s railroad on the north side of Greeley at 11th, 14th, 35th, and 59th avenues and O Street.

And on the east side of Greeley officials are working to create a Quiet Zone along the Union Pacific Railroad. To create that Quiet Zone, the City needs to make improvements at each railroad crossing.

To obtain a quiet zone designation, Greeley must first make several changes and improvements to railroad crossings in that area to ensure drivers stay off the tracks when trains are nearby.

By default, trains are required by law to sound their horn at all crossings to alert nearby drivers and pedestrians — even if no one is around. However, with a quiet zone designation, trains are only required to sound their horns in the case of an emergency — such as a person or car on the tracks.