2008-02-22_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2008086 (46)

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CHAPTERTWO Alternatives 2.10.7 Grade-Separated Crossing of County Road M.8 This alternative would include construction of a bridge over the rail route and a new bridge over Mack Wash (Figure 2-4, County Road 8 Realignment). Crossing the rail line would require raising the grade of CR M8 a maximum of 35 feet above the existing grade. Due to the short distance between the rail line crossing and Mack Wash (400 feet), the grade at the wash crossing would also have to be raised, requiring a new bridge or concrete box in this location as well. Approximately 175,000 cubic yards of fill would be required for this alternative, as well as a wider footprint to accommodate the raised grade. 2.10.8 Noiseless Crossings This alternative would consist of constructing special at-grade railroad crossings of CR M8 and CR 10. Construction of these noiseless crossings means that the train would not be required to sound a horn in normal operating conditions. A noiseless crossing is actually a quiet zone established per 49 CFR Part 222, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Train Horn Rule. There are two ways to establish a quiet zone with Supplemental Safety Measures (SSMs). FRA needs to be notified (they do not have to approve the application) of these quiet zones; FRA will not re-visit the quiet zone to monitor compliance. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) must grant the change to the crossings in a quiet zone. The quiet zone may have only one crossing (as in this case), but the crossing must be at least 0.5 mile in length. The crossing equipment must also include constant warning time (detects train speed and lowers the gate arms so that 20 seconds of gate down time exists before the train enters the crossing), power out indicator, and a lighted "X" sign to indicate to the train that the crossing is a quiet zone crossing. The noiseless crossing could include both CR 10 and CR M8, or just CR 10 if the CR M8 grade-separated crossing alternative is selected. The two methods for SSMs are: • Standard crossing gate system with a median barrier (at least 6-inch-high curbs) extending at least 100 feet on each side of the crossing Four-quadrant gates with standard railroad gate system but with four gate arms. Two of the gate arms operate in the standard manner. The two additional gate arms are lowered a few seconds after the usual gate arm to prevent trapping a car between the gates. The first method is preferred, as it has proved to be a safer alternative. With the four-quadrant gate configuration, motorists are still able to drive around the first gates in an attempt to beat the delayed second arm before it gets all the way down. The regulations also allow the train crew to sound the horn in a quiet zone in an emergency. The train crew is responsible for determining what constitutes an emergency. Problem drivers, trespassers, and animals (any animal) are examples of emergency situations. 2.10.9 Transmission Line Alternatives Three alternatives have been developed in response to potential environmental, access, and land ownership issues. These alternatives are shown on Figure 2-12, Transmission Line Alternatives. All alternatives share the same termini; beginning at the Xcel Uintah substation and ending at the proposed substation. Alternatives A and B share a common route from the Uintah substation 2-55