Nursery Avenue quiet zone is a high priority project for Public Works.  The City recognizes the importance of the project to the quality of life in the Niles community, and we are committed to facilitating its timely delivery. 

The “critical path” for getting the Nursery Avenue quiet zone approved requires a major safety upgrade to the Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) train detection system, the crossing gates, and the interconnected communications with the adjoining traffic signals at Niles/Nursery and Mission/Nursery (a Caltrans signal).  This is to ensure that traffic on Nursery is not backed up at the signals and across the tracks when a train is approaching, particularly if the train is operating in a quiet zone.  The need for this safety improvement was identified in a 2012 report based on guidance from the Federal Railroad Administration. 

In Fall 2015, the City Council added funding to the project to address the comprehensive set of requirements from UPRR, California Public Utilities Commission, and Caltrans. The project scope includes pavement rehabilitation, median islands, sidewalks on both sides of Nursery Avenue, upgrades to traffic signal communications at the railroad crossing (UPRR operated), the signal at Niles/Nursery (City operated), and the signal at Mission/Nursery (Caltrans operated). These improvements are necessary so that the City can pursue a project that was supported by UPRR.
Key Milestone dates for the project are as follows: 

Action Item	Date/Duration	Initiated By
Application to CPUC for Railroad Crossing Modification	Completed February 2018	City of Fremont
Submit revised Notice of Intent	Completed June 2017	City of Fremont
Approval of Preemption Timing	Completed June 2017	Caltrans
Completion of Construction Plans for Safety Project including Approval of Plans by UPRR and Caltrans	Completed November 2017	City of Fremont
Caltrans Encroachment Permit	Completed October 2017	Caltrans
CPUC Permit Approval	Completed March 2018	CPUC
Nursery and Mission Signal Design by UPRR	Completed	UPRR
Construction & Maintenance Agreement between City and UPRR	Completed November 19,2019	UPRR
- City received Draft Agreement	January 18, 2019
- City send comments on Agreement back to UPRR	February 19, 2019
- City received agreement for execution	September 19, 2019
Council Authorization to execute the agreement	October 15, 2019
UPRR Signal Interconnect-Preemption Agreement with Caltrans	May 27, 2020	Caltrans
Bid Opening for City Construction Contract	June 16, 2020	City of Fremont
Award of City Construction Contract (assuming no bid protests)	July 7, 2020	City of Fremont
City Project Construction Period (selected contractor will provide construction schedule)	10/9/2020-4/30/2021	City of Fremont
UPRR Project Construction Period	6/20/20-10/31/2020	UPRR
Quiet Zone Community Education Process (1 month after project construction is complete)	5/2021	City of Fremont
Submit Notice of Establishment (1 month after Quiet Zone Education process)	6/2021	City of Fremont
Establish Quiet Zone (1 month after Notice of Establishment is submitted)	7/2021	City of Fremont

Staying "on track" will require the ongoing support from UPRR, Caltrans and CPUC. 
If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact:
Jeanne Suyeishi
jsuyeishi@fremont.gov

Project Bid Set Plans