By Nathan Duke
The Long Island Rail Road has estimated that a project to install gates at a Little Neck railroad crossing where residents have been plagued by blaring horns will cost more than $1.4 million, the agency said.
In a recent letter to state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose), who secured $1 million for the project, LIRR President Helena Williams provided a financial breakdown of the project. The gates at the grade crossing will block all road traffic on Little Neck Parkway from crossing the LIRR when a train is approaching.
Padavan said the project should come as a relief for the neighborhood, where residents have long been forced to endure loud horns from passing trains.
“It's disturbing when loud blasts are emanating all night,” he said. “But if you put up gates, then trains no longer have to do that.”
According to the Federal Railway Administration, such a barrier is needed to create a quiet zone, which allows trains to keep their horns silent as they near an at-grade crossing. Little Neck residents had been enduring the train's horns since 2005, when the FRA implemented the safety guideline.
The senator said there was no current date set for the crossing gates to be completed. He said the plan would take at least six months to complete.
The LIRR could not be reached for comment.
In the letter to Padavan, Williams said the total cost of the project would be $1,403,517. In addition to Padavan, City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) has allocated $100,000 for the project and U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) secured $250,000.
The crossing gates will include a safety system, which will allow police and fire personnel to pass through in the event of an emergency. The LIRR and the city Department of Transportation will develop the project.
In addition, the LIRR will repave the asphalt roadway adjacent to the grade crossing and undertake asbestos abatement at the site if required, according to budget estimates from the LIRR's engineering department.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
