Bypass still in the works for Victoria’s KCS rail line
Written by jrood
Construction is complete on the Kansas City Southern rail line and trains run through Victoria, Texas, daily, but there's still more to go, according to the Victoria Advocate. The next step is a bypass to offset rail traffic through major arteries. It's a work in progress and both KCS and the Texas Department of Transportation are working toward a resolution, Victoria County Judge Don Pozzi said.
A bypass is important, Mayor Will Armstrong agreed, but added that it’s
unclear where the project timeline sits.
"We were told they would do El Campo first," he said.
"These things are all completely and totally out of our control. There’s
nothing the city does or can do to influence the railroad."
Representatives from the railroad said they would do the engineering
and investigate where the bypass should go but, thus far, not much has
happened, said Randy Bena, area engineer with the Texas Department of
Transportation.
"The plan was, when we got to the point where right-of-way would
be purchased, it was going to be a joint venture between the railroad, TxDOT
and, possibly, the city," he said. "But, since the railroad was close
to completion, we haven’t heard a word about the bypass."
The railroad laid wooden ties in Telferner and told TxDot they were
there temporarily until bypasses went in, Bena said. The permanent ties are
made of concrete.
"I think they did that around El Campo, too," Bena said.
"I just don’t think it’s progressed."
A project fact sheet Kansas City Southern e-mailed to the Advocate did
not include information regarding the proposed bypasses.
The New York, Texas and Mexican Railway Company originally constructed
the line that runs from Victoria to Rosenberg in 1882, according to the company
fact sheet. Construction on the latest project began in March 2008 and finished
in June 2009.
It’s too soon to determine what type of impact the line has had on the
area, but Pozzi said he’s happy to have it operating in the Crossroads.
"Certainly, from
everything I’ve seen, they’ve been a good community partner," he said.
