Part of Franklin Blvd Will Be Closed Starting April 16

A section of Franklin Boulevard in southwestern Elk Grove will be closed for four days later this month as crews work on a railroad track.

The city of Elk Grove and Union Pacific Railroad will be working on a railroad crossing near Franklin Boulevard and Willard Parkway, and will close a section of Franklin from the morning of April 16 to the evening of April 19.

Franklin will be closed from Bilby Road to Willard Parkway during the work. An unintended side-effect of the work will be more train noise: trains don't usually sound their horns while passing through the area, but are required to do so when passing through a work zone.

More details, courtesy of the city of Elk Grove, follow:

Franklin Boulevard Road Closure Planned for Railroad Crossing Repairs

Elk Grove, CA – Beginning April 16, Union Pacific Railroad, in coordination with the City of Elk Grove Public Works Department, will perform significant track maintenance work at the railroad crossing on Franklin Boulevard just southwest of Willard Parkway.

Franklin Boulevard between Bilby Road and Willard Parkway will be closed from 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16 through 6 p.m. on Friday, April 19.  The road will remain closed until the work is finished.

Northbound Franklin Boulevard motorists will be directed around the project by taking Bilby Road east from Franklin Boulevard to Willard Parkway. Southbound Franklin Boulevard motorists will be directed around the project by taking Willard Parkway south from the intersection of Whitelock Parkway and Franklin Boulevard to Bilby Road.

Informational road closure and detour signs will be posted prior to the closure.  Residential and commercial access will be provided. 

The railroad crossing on Franklin Boulevard is located within a “quiet zone,” a designated area that is exempt from a federal rule that requires that whistles be sounded every time a train approaches a railroad crossing.  Due to Federal Railroad Administration safety requirements, train operators are required to sound a horn when passing through a work zone.  Train horns and sounds may be more noticeable to residents along the rail corridor during the construction.  

For more information about the road closures and detours, call the City of Elk Grove’s Public Works Department at 916-687-3005.  For more information about the Union Pacific Railroad track maintenance program, contact Liisa Lawson Stark at 916-789-5957. 

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