Gladstone, Mich., OKs rail yard grant

Gladstone, Mich., City Commission approved plans by the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) to submit the pre-application paperwork for a Tiger II Grant, the Escanaba Daily Press reports. A public hearing was held Monday, which brought forth various comments and suggestions about CN's Gladstone rail yard and its plans for the grant, if received.

The Tiger II
(Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery II) Grant, which was
pitched by President Barack Obama and approved by Congress, is a discretionary
grant program that holds $600 million for the 2010 fiscal year. According to CN
Manager of Structures & Engineering Services Curt Holman, the application
for the Tiger II grant was considered by CN after numerous traffic issues at
the South Hill Road crossing in Gladstone were brought to the company’s
attention.

Extensive wait times, as
well as emergency and non-emergency vehicle detours from the crossing, could be
addressed by the grant, according to Holman. If received, CN would use the
grant to build an extension on its track, which would run north from the rail
yard to Willow Road in Gladstone. By making this addition, CN would be able to
back trains to a more remote area while switching cars – the primary reason
behind the extensive wait times.

"What this would allow
us to do would be to – as we’re putting trains together and taking trains apart
– would be to keep the body of the train located further to the north, out to
Willow Road," he said. "It certainly will never stop the blockage at
South Hill Road, but hopefully it would be a step toward being able to continue
a higher level of operation with a minimal amount of additional blockage at the
road crossing."

According to Holman, there
are approximately 1,150 vehicles that travel over the railroad tracks on South
Hill Road every day. After a 10-day period of analyzing road crossing blockages
at that location in May, CN discovered, on average, the road crossing warning
systems activated 17 times a day and operated, on average, one hour and five
minutes daily.

"I think that the real
problem is through the switching process, and I think that this extension would
definitely help that," said Commissioner Hugo Mattonen. "This
certainly would address the inconvenience for the motoring vehicles up and down
that hill – there is no doubt in my mind."

The expansion would be an
estimated $1.8-million project, but would require no match from the city or the
railroad. However, the city will serve as the vessel through which the grant is
received, as it is only disbursed to municipalities.

Holman notes even if the company
were to experience a boost in business, such as the one they are anticipating
from any Kennecott Eagle Mine dealings, the number of cars should not exceed
the length of the new addition.

Another issue addressed
during the public hearing was the ongoing noise complaints from train
operations at the rail yard. Various suggestions for containing the noise from
the trains ranged from building a wall along the highway in front of the rail
yard to using ‘soft barriers’ such as tree and hills to diffuse the noise.
Holman noted, if the city desired, CN would look into including the cost of
constructing and implementing these soft barriers into the grant.

Holman and two additional
CN representatives, who were available for questions via teleconference, also agreed
to exploring public and commission requests about installing anticipatory
signage which would divert traffic before any significant back-ups occurred.

A motion to grant
permission to CN to submit the pre-application paperwork was unanimously
supported by commissioners.

"I do feel that the
rail yard, as well as Canadian National and all the past companies that owned
the rail yard, is an economic boost for Gladstone," explained Mayor Darin
Hunter, in supporting the grant application. "What we are trying to do as
a commission here is come up with the best solution for the citizens and for
the railroad."

Issues that remain
undetermined include whether or not the new addition would affect the wetlands
located in Gladstone. According to Holman, this cannot be accurately determined
until the plan is more extensively mapped out.

The final application for
the Tiger II grant is due Aug. 23. The city commissioners and public will have
an opportunity to review the grant and further discuss any concerns at an
upcoming city meeting.