How To Get Traffic | Rock Hill Hopes To Silence Train Noise, Traffic Concerns

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Rock Hill neighbors, business owners and city leaders have come up with a plan to deal with problems caused by trains on the Norfolk Southern line through the downtown area.

Problems include noise, blocked traffic and railroad crossing safety concerns.

If Rock Hill votes to accept the recommendations, they would build new crossings and create quiet zones where trains can’t blow their whistles.

Tony Nguyen and his family have dealt with the noise every day for 20 years, running the sSaltwater Seafood Market right next to the tracks.

"It's a pretty big issue," Nguyen said. "We have to cope with it."

Train-related traffic tie ups are problems, too.

Nguyen says customers complain they get to the store after it's closed because they waited for a train. It’s not hard to find a train blocking the Community Street intersection.

"It's always blocked," said driver Dennis Tutterow.

Tutterow lives in the area and says he is tired of the traffic blockages. He typically crosses the tracks just down the road.

"It just seems like any time I need to get home, it comes this way and I'm blocked," Tutterow said.

Now, neighbors, business owners and city leaders have come up with these recommendations to fix the problem:

- Eliminate the Mill Street Crossing.
- Build a new one at Quantz Street.
- Re-build the Community Street crossing.
- Add enough safety measures in those spots to eliminate the horn.
- Add a dual sidetrack away from homes where trains can switch and eliminate traffic blockages by more than 80 percent.

All good ideas, Nguyen says, considering the family expects to be in business next to the tracks for the next 20 years as well.

"That would be awesome," Tutterow said. "Anything for productivity."

There's already some money in place for the improvements. Rock Hill is also applying for a $1.5 million federal grant. The quiet zones would have to be approved by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Norfolk Southern supports the plan. The next step is for Rock Hill to prepare a detailed proposal to submit to the railroad. The railroad would then do an engineering study before approving the plan.

Railroad officials say at this point, it is impossible to predict how long the process would take to get to the point of breaking ground on the improvements.