The City Council votes Tuesday on a $196,687 design contract for a downtown quiet zone. Gates at North Clayton and Maltbie streets would let CSX trains pass without routine horns.
Overview
The Lawrenceville City Council votes Tuesday, Nov. 17, on the next step toward silencing routine train horns downtown. The city wants a federal “quiet zone” at the two CSX crossings on North Clayton Street and Maltbie Street. The contract on the agenda would pay Pond & Company up to $196,687 to design it.
Trains run through downtown Lawrenceville on the CSX line beside the historic depot. Federal rule 49 CFR 222.21 requires the lead locomotive to sound its horn approaching every public crossing: two long blasts, one short and one long. A quiet zone is the exception, and the crossings have to be made safer to earn it.
The design contract is item 6 on the council’s Nov. 17 regular meeting agenda. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 70 S. Clayton St. The council discusses the same item at its 2 p.m. work session that day.
What the city plans
The quiet zone would cover two crossings, according to the engineering department’s agenda report in the meeting packet:
- North Clayton Street (federal crossing number 639782K), beside the depot
- Maltbie Street (crossing number 639783S)
The city earlier hired Pond & Company to study whether a 24-hour quiet zone was possible under Federal Railroad Administration rules. That study found that adding one extra safety measure at each crossing would bring the risk score below the national threshold. That would qualify the area for a quiet zone automatically, the report said.
The concept drawings in the packet show the measure Pond proposes: four-quadrant gates. These are gates that drop across both lanes on both sides of the tracks, so a driver cannot weave around them.
The North Clayton Street drawing also shows:
- a new walkway for pedestrians across the tracks, with handrails
- new sidewalks, curb ramps and a crosswalk near Maddox Street
- parallel parking on the west side of North Clayton Street by the depot
- “No Train Horn” signs on every approach
What the $196,687 buys
The contract covers design only, not construction. Pond’s Oct. 22 proposal splits the lump sum this way:
| Phase | Amount |
|---|---|
| Project management and coordination | $14,464 |
| Survey and underground utility mapping | $52,554 |
| Preliminary design | $50,977 |
| Right-of-way plans | $10,006 |
| Final design | $21,447 |
| Railroad coordination with CSX, the FRA and GDOT | $31,745 |
| Bidding and construction support | $15,494 |
| Total | $196,687 |
The money comes from the city’s “Quiet Zone at Depot” capital project, number 26-028, the agenda report said. The work falls under the annual engineering contract the city signed with Pond on April 28, 2026.
How long it would take
Pond estimated about 12 months for the design and railroad coordination, starting after the city’s notice to proceed and the survey work. That depends on review times at the city, GDOT and CSX, the proposal said. Agreements and permits “will likely extend beyond this timeframe.”
CSX must review the plans at 60%, 90% and 100% design. CSX’s signal department designs the new gates, at the city’s expense. Any railroad review fees also fall to the city, the proposal said.
The horns do not stop when the design is done. The city still has to build the gates and have them accepted by CSX and the FRA. It then files a notice of intent and a notice of establishment. Those steps are not part of this contract, Pond’s proposal said.
What it means for you
- Live or work near downtown? If the quiet zone is built, trains would no longer sound horns as a matter of routine at North Clayton and Maltbie streets. It is at least a year away, on Pond’s own estimate.
- Horns will not vanish entirely. Under federal rule 49 CFR 222.23, an engineer may still sound the horn in an emergency to prevent injury or damage. Horns also sound when crossing gates malfunction or are out of service for maintenance.
- Walk across the tracks downtown? The North Clayton plan adds a marked walkway across the tracks with handrails and new sidewalk on both sides.
- You can comment. The item is under old business, where the agenda says there is no public comment unless the mayor and council allow it. The public comment period comes earlier in the meeting. Register with the city clerk before the meeting starts; each speaker gets two minutes.
Also on the Nov. 17 agenda
- 106 stacked townhomes off Hurricane Shoals Road. Parkland Homebuilders’ rezoning (RZM2026-00007) gets its public hearing, alongside a rewrite of the RM-24 multifamily rules. Our story on the Hurricane Shoals townhomes has the detail.
- A car wash at 425 W. Pike St. Smokerise Services LLC seeks a special use permit for the 0.8-acre lot at Dons Way. Staff and the Planning Commission recommend approval with conditions, the packet shows.
- Arts Center rehearsal room. A contract of up to $470,000 to Novin Construction LLC would restore the Lawrenceville Arts Center rehearsal room’s paneling, floors, rigging, electrical, plumbing and acoustics. The final cost depends on an insurance claim from a flood at the Arts Center this year, the agenda report said.
- 854 N. Clayton St. The council is asked to approve buying the property for $375,000, plus $6,070 in survey costs. The report calls it “a strategic property” in the north downtown assemblage, which the city plans to redevelop with the Downtown Development Authority.
- Summer power. A two-year deal with the city of Griffin, about 50 miles south, would supply 2.1 megawatts of extra summer power in 2027 and 8.7 megawatts in 2028. The agenda report puts the cost at $1,239,773.
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