The fix was concrete medians at eight railroad crossings, and the contract gave the builder sixty calendar days to substantially finish them. So why did the stretch along Keith Road, Todd Street, Major Drive, Wooten Road and Langham Road go almost two years with horns at every crossing?
The City of Beaumont's own timeline answers it. The construction was the short part. Most of the wait went to permits, agreements and plan reviews with the railroad, and then to a final approval issued at the national level. On August 21, 2026, the City announced that the Federal Railroad Administration had lifted the suspension. The City's next concerns are much smaller than a construction project. It's asking neighbors to leave the "No Train Horn" signs alone and to report routine horns through 311.
What Broke in September 2024
The FRA told city staff on September 3, 2024, that the crossings were out of compliance, according to KFDM. The problem was the medians. In a quiet zone, the medians at a crossing have to be non-traversable, meaning built so a driver can't swing around a lowered gate. The FRA decided Beaumont's existing medians no longer met that standard. It told the railroad to sound the horn for safety until the City installed compliant ones.
The City's timeline put the stakes in bold. The horns would not stop until every crossing was fixed. Fixing six or seven of the eight would have changed nothing a resident could hear at 2 a.m.
Here are the eight locations in the City staff report, with the landmarks the City's timeline uses for the Keith and Todd pairs:
| Crossing | How the City identifies it |
|---|---|
| Keith Road | North and South; near Phelan and near Highway 90 |
| Todd Street | North and South; near Phelan and near Highway 90 |
| Major Drive | North and South |
| Wooten Road | Single crossing |
| Langham Road | Single crossing |
Ward 2 Councilman Joey Hilliard told 12NewsNow that about 15,000 people are affected by the horns in that area. That's a lot of bedrooms riding on eight medians.
Where the Two Years Actually Went
The City couldn't start pouring concrete until it had a permit from the railroad to work inside the railroad's right-of-way. Here's how the steps add up, using the City's timeline, council records and news releases:
- September 3, 2024: The FRA notifies city staff that the crossings are out of compliance.
- December 9, 2024: The City submits its permit application and preliminary plans to the railroad.
- January 31, 2025: The City and the railroad sign an Engineering Agreement, under which the City covers the railroad's costs for project review and coordination.
- June 18, 2025: Diagnostic meetings are held after the railroad reviews the preliminary plans.
- September 4, 2025: The City sends the railroad its final set of plans.
- October 2, 2025: Two bids come in, even though 486 vendors were notified by email, through the City's bidding website and in the local newspaper.
- October 21, 2025: City Council awards the contract.
- January 9, 2026: Construction begins.
- June 9, 2026: A final inspection produces a punch list of corrections, with 30 days to finish them.
- August 12, 2026: The City announces that all required construction is done and the project has been submitted to the FRA.
- August 21, 2026: The FRA lifts the suspension.
Count the months. It was roughly sixteen months from the FRA's notice to the first day of construction, and those months went to applications, agreements, meetings and plan reviews. Construction, inspection and corrections took about seven months after that. A two-year wait sounds like a slow construction job. Mostly it was a slow approval process.
The price was modest next to that wait. SETEX Construction Corp., a Beaumont company, won with a base bid of $422,488.66. The engineer's estimate was $437,439, and the only other bid came from Norman Highway Constructors of Orange at $684,196.17. The project is funded with Certificates of Obligation. If you remember a $437,000 contract from the news last fall, that number is the City's estimate. The amount in the City staff report's recommended award is about $15,000 lower.
The Last Stretch Ran Through Washington
The June 9 inspection brought together the City, SETEX Construction, the FRA and the railroad's engineering consultant, Benesch. They agreed on a punch list of fixes. In its June 24 update, the City said the local FRA representative supported the project but that final approval is issued at the national level.
That stretch explains a detail some West End drivers probably noticed over the summer. The "No Train Horn" signs at the crossings were covered up as part of the punch list. According to the City, those signs are meant for drivers, not train crews, and they'd be uncovered once the quiet zone was formally restored.
When construction finished on August 12, the City said it had no confirmed date for when the zone would take effect. Nine days later, it announced the FRA had lifted the suspension and that Union Pacific Railroad had been notified.
Hilliard said he'd been working on the quiet zone before he was even sworn in, and that the City built its new safety measures with some cushion. "We actually went a little higher, just in case the regulations ever change again," he told 12NewsNow. He also credited Public Works Director Molly Villarreal and city staff.
A West End resident said the horns could go off every 15 to 20 minutes at night.
What Keeps It Quiet From Here
The zone was lost the first time because a piece of roadside infrastructure fell short of a standard. In its reinstatement notice, the City named the next piece it's watching. The "No Train Horn" signs near the crossings are part of the zone's safety compliance requirements. The City says repeated theft or removal of those signs could affect compliance and put the zone's continued operation at risk. For a neighborhood that spent two years getting compliant again, a missing sign isn't a small thing.
Some horns are still expected. The City says it may take a while for word of the reinstatement to reach every railroad employee and engineer running trains through the area, so horns may keep sounding during the transition. Engineers can also blow the horn any time they decide there's a safety concern. Occasional horns fit that description.
The City is treating ongoing routine horns as a problem it wants to hear about. If you keep hearing them after the reinstatement took effect, report it to the City's Engineering Department through Beaumont 311. Staff use those reports to pin down locations and recurring problems that need follow-up. If your report names the crossing, like Keith near Phelan or Todd near Highway 90, staff have a specific crossing to check.
If you live near one of these crossings, or you've wondered how the train line figures into life on your side of town, I'm always glad to talk it through over coffee or a phone call. Beth Westbrook knows these West End streets, and if you have questions, Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
