Dear Sherman Street Neighbors,
As part of our commitment to keeping you up to date on the latest information about the Sherman Street Quiet Zone we will be sending you a weekly email update. Also, during the week updates are being posted on the website as they are available (
https://www.cambridgema.gov/ShermanStreetCrossing
).
Some of the key updates from this past week are:
- This week the City received comments on the NOI from all remaining stakeholders. As such, we are issuing the Notice of Establishment for the quiet zone today, Friday August 24. The notice indicates the quiet zone will be established on September 15, 2018 at 12:01 am. This reflects the 21 day time frame required by Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations for establishing quiet zones.
- Construction on the safety improvements required for the quiet zone are set to begin shortly after Labor Day and will take approximately one week. The City continues to coordinate with adjacent property owners regarding the driveway access changes required for the safety improvement.
- The median installation will be done using granite curbs and concrete rather than the hard plastic qwick kurb we had originally discussed. This change will allow a better end result requiring less maintenance and allowing for improved snow removal. The use of concrete and granite will not change the timeline for the quiet zone and does not preclude future plans to modify the median to allow driveway access on the south side of the crossing once FRA approval is granted.
- This week City staff met with a representative of the FRA on site at the Sherman Street Crossing to confirm that current plans will meet all requirements to establish the quiet zone.
- With the exception of Pan Am, the stakeholders had no comment on the Notice of Intent. Pan Am’s comment letter offered a general objection all quiet zones, with no specific concerns about the Sherman Street crossing. While the regulations for establishing a quiet zone require the comment period, they do not state that comments dictate whether or not a quiet zone can be established. Pan Am did not raise any issues specific to the Sherman Street Crossing or our specific plans for the quiet zone and we do not feel that the generalized objection requires any changes to our plans or timeline for the quiet zone.
We will continue to provide additional updates as they become available.
