Local

Winter Park prepares for new quiet zones with addition of SunRail

WINTER PARK, Fla. — Some Winter Park residents are worried once the SunRail project is complete train noises in their city are only going to get worse.

Channel 9's Anthony DiLorenzo found out about Winter Park's plan to build so-called quiet zones at 16 train crossings to fix the problem.

The quiet zones would be the first of their kind in central Florida and they’re expected to improve safety, along with keeping the area quiet.

Some residents told DiLorenzo they were thrilled to hear the city is finally moving to put an end to noisy train traffic.

The quiet zones are going to cost $1.5 million.

The homeowners association president of Hamilton Place in Winter Park said news of the quiet zones is music to her ears.

“I would throw a block party if that would happen,” Georgette Myers said. “Sometimes I think you’ve got the guy driving the train at 2 a.m. and he’s thinking, ‘If I’m up everyone else will be up.’”

To try to mitigate some of the noise, residents there funded a 6-foot fence.

One of the main concerns from residents is once SunRail starts in the spring it’s going to force a lot of the freight traffic to come by in the overnight hours.

Winter Park already has most of the money needed to build quiet zones, thanks to a FEMA reimbursement.

The project has full support of the city and should be finished in about a year