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PTC to fight Kedron train ‘parking lot’Tue, 05/23/2006 - 4:43pm
By: John Munford
Plans to expand a portion of the CSX railroad in Peachtree City have sparked concerns about safety issues, as trains containing hazardous chemicals could be parked for up to 12 hours at a time on an unguarded stretch of track near the Home Depot-Wal-Mart shopping center and several neighborhoods to the north. CSX wants to build a parking area for a train up to 110 cars long, City Engineer David Borkowski told the Peachtree City Council last week. “It’s basically a pit stop, or a rest area for the railroad,” Borkowski said. Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett said she was gravely concerned about the parking of trains containing hazardous chemicals so close to residential neighborhoods. “We need to try to find everything we can to keep them from doing that,” said Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford. There may be little the city can do to stop the railroad expansion plans, warned City Attorney Ted Meeker. The railroads are almost exclusively regulated by the federal government, he noted. Meeker will research the matter to see if the city has any jurisdiction over the project and whether it can take any proactive steps; he will also look into any safety precautions required by law. Local emergency officials have prepared and run drills for a possible chemical spill due to a train derailment, and they consider it a potentially significant danger. Depending on the type of chemical that is spilled, such an accident might release noxious fumes into the air and require a massive emergency response from local, state and federal agencies. Emergency officials have a list of the various chemicals that are transported on the trains so they can be prepared on how to respond should a leak occur. Phone calls seeking comment from a CSX spokesperson were unreturned by press time Tuesday afternoon. The rail siding project could also mean serious impediments for an annexation plan to extend MacDuff Parkway northward to Ga. Highway 74. CSX wants to close the current at-grade crossing at the former Comcast Cable building near the intersection of Hwy. 74 and the southern end of Kedron Drive, Borkowski said. That was where developer John Wieland Homes hoped to land the at-grade crossing in conjunction with a plan to annex 377 acres to build 377 homes. Instead, CSX wants to close the rail crossing there, and one a short distance to the north, so it can build the siding. Mayor Harold Logsdon said railroad officials told the city recently that it could park trains on the siding for as long as 12 hours at a time. “It’s going to be an eyesore on a major corridor in town,” Logsdon added. Logsdon said he thinks this development will speed funding for a bridge over the railroad further to the north for an extension of MacDuff Parkway. The railroad committed to speeding up the application process for such a plan, and Logsdon said he even asked CSX to pay for the bridge. Councilman Steve Boone said that bridge could cost around $3 million. Borkowski said city staff have asked the railroad to reconsider closing the Comcast crossing, and the railroad agreed to look into that possibility. But CSX officials contend they can close the crossing because the agreement allowing its use had expired, officials said. Logsdon said Doug Mitchell of Pathway Communities thought the terms of the agreement were different, and Mitchell committed to finding a copy of that agreement. Were the Comcast crossing agreement with the city or the county, there would be a greater ability to prevent it from being closed, Meeker added. The city’s traffic consulting firm has recommended that both the at-grade crossing at the Comcast building and the bridge at a location further north would both be needed in the future to provide access to Ga. Highway 74 north. Qk4’s analysis did not anticipate that the at-grade crossing at Comcast possibly would be unavailable. login to post comments
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