Fairview ‘quiet zone’ coming to a screeching halt

Spokane Valley residents who live near University Road and Trent Avenue will have to pick from two unpleasant choices in the coming week.

Revamped federal regulations may end a railroad “quiet zone” near East Fairview Avenue and North University Road. Right now, the city plans to block off Fairview at the intersections to keep the status, which is supposed to prevent upward of 45 trains per day from blowing their whistles near residences there.

The quiet-zone designation will expire June 24 and the city can’t renew it under new federal rules because the intersection at Fairview is now considered too close to the tracks. One solution would be to make University inaccessible to drivers on Fairview, which would create a detour of up to a mile to get out of the neighborhood.

City engineers have said it may be possible to reopen Fairview later with federal approval and maintain the designation. Also, the city could build another road to connect Grace Avenue and Fairview in future years. In the meantime, though, closure of Fairview is planned for May 22.

City public information officer Carolbelle Branch said in a statement that the city is asking residents whether they would prefer to keep Fairview open and allow the whistles to blow instead. Residents have until Wednesday to submit their comments to the city by e-mailing cbranch@spokanevalley.org or calling (509) 688-0232.