QUOTE
Funding dire for South Shore study
Money not included in earmarks
By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, March 25, 2010 4:16 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Down to their “last hope” for $2 million to fund a preliminary engineering study of all possible configurations relocating the South Shore Line through Michigan City, South Shore and city officials said Wednesday they likely will need to pursue other options.
Any modifications to the South Shore Line may now be pushed back later than 2015 if funding isn’t found by the end of next month, requiring the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District to file for an extension of time.
“We’ve been looking every direction for money. We’re not going to let this go away,” said Mark Yagelski, president of the NICTD board and the La Porte County Council.
Mayor Chuck Oberlie said he was informed Wednesday money for the project was not included among 13 Congressional earmarks submitted by U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger.
“He was looking for projects with immediate employment opportunities, and this is not something that would produce results right away,” Oberlie said.
The cutoff in the U.S. Senate for earmarks is April 28, Yagelski said, so NICTD officials plan to go to Washington, D.C., to meet with his representatives.
“If that doesn’t succeed, we may as well wait for next year’s appropriations,” he said. “I’m not as optimistic as I was a month ago about getting this done quickly. I can’t really tell people now to not fix up their property on 11th Street because we’re going to buy it. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The study would explore four different options: NICTD’s original plan, a northern route, a modified version of the northern route and a southern route.
“We have to look at all reasonable alternatives,” Oberlie said.
With the original South Shore plan, NICTD intended to improve its service by pulling out the embedded tracks in 11th Street and realigning the route along 10th and 11th streets. The changes are needed, in part, to meet federal requirements for what is called “positive train control” by 2015. The NICTD proposal calls for closing the two existing stations and building a new one between the historic downtown and Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets.
In response, concerned residents proposed bringing the route near the Amtrak line because 17 of 34 street crossings would be closed along the 10th and 11th street corridor. The plan also would involve the demolition of more than 100 houses and businesses.
A modified northern route would travel along Michigan Boulevard, avoiding use of the swing bridge. The south route is along CSX railroad tracks, although NICTD has already deemed that route unworkable.
The study may cost $1 million or less if officials are able to whittle the options down to two, said Michigan City Councilman Bob McKee. That would be NICTD’s proposal and the north-end proposal.
“We’ve been making plans for years along Michigan Boulevard, we can’t just trash those now,” McKee said, referencing a residential and business development plan in the works along the northern end of that corridor. “Why else have we spent so much money buying up property?”
But Oberlie said they can’t do that when some residents still vocally support a modified north-end plan.
“Congressmen want to see full community support of projects,” Yagelski said. “They’re not going to get involved when there’s still a turf war going on.”
Oberlie said he wants NICTD to apply to the Federal Railroad Administration for an exception from positive train control, which will require railroads to use GPS navigation to control train movement and better assure safety, only inside city limits. NICTD has said positive train control will not work with Michigan City’s track alignment in the middle of 11th Street.
“If we can deem it an historic corridor, perhaps we can work their needs in with ours and build a new station instead of moving all the track,” he said.
Yagelski said trains could only travel 20 mph in areas without positive train control, and that would not work for South Shore scheduling.
Money not included in earmarks
By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, March 25, 2010 4:16 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Down to their “last hope” for $2 million to fund a preliminary engineering study of all possible configurations relocating the South Shore Line through Michigan City, South Shore and city officials said Wednesday they likely will need to pursue other options.
Any modifications to the South Shore Line may now be pushed back later than 2015 if funding isn’t found by the end of next month, requiring the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District to file for an extension of time.
“We’ve been looking every direction for money. We’re not going to let this go away,” said Mark Yagelski, president of the NICTD board and the La Porte County Council.
Mayor Chuck Oberlie said he was informed Wednesday money for the project was not included among 13 Congressional earmarks submitted by U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger.
“He was looking for projects with immediate employment opportunities, and this is not something that would produce results right away,” Oberlie said.
The cutoff in the U.S. Senate for earmarks is April 28, Yagelski said, so NICTD officials plan to go to Washington, D.C., to meet with his representatives.
“If that doesn’t succeed, we may as well wait for next year’s appropriations,” he said. “I’m not as optimistic as I was a month ago about getting this done quickly. I can’t really tell people now to not fix up their property on 11th Street because we’re going to buy it. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The study would explore four different options: NICTD’s original plan, a northern route, a modified version of the northern route and a southern route.
“We have to look at all reasonable alternatives,” Oberlie said.
With the original South Shore plan, NICTD intended to improve its service by pulling out the embedded tracks in 11th Street and realigning the route along 10th and 11th streets. The changes are needed, in part, to meet federal requirements for what is called “positive train control” by 2015. The NICTD proposal calls for closing the two existing stations and building a new one between the historic downtown and Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets.
In response, concerned residents proposed bringing the route near the Amtrak line because 17 of 34 street crossings would be closed along the 10th and 11th street corridor. The plan also would involve the demolition of more than 100 houses and businesses.
A modified northern route would travel along Michigan Boulevard, avoiding use of the swing bridge. The south route is along CSX railroad tracks, although NICTD has already deemed that route unworkable.
The study may cost $1 million or less if officials are able to whittle the options down to two, said Michigan City Councilman Bob McKee. That would be NICTD’s proposal and the north-end proposal.
“We’ve been making plans for years along Michigan Boulevard, we can’t just trash those now,” McKee said, referencing a residential and business development plan in the works along the northern end of that corridor. “Why else have we spent so much money buying up property?”
But Oberlie said they can’t do that when some residents still vocally support a modified north-end plan.
“Congressmen want to see full community support of projects,” Yagelski said. “They’re not going to get involved when there’s still a turf war going on.”
Oberlie said he wants NICTD to apply to the Federal Railroad Administration for an exception from positive train control, which will require railroads to use GPS navigation to control train movement and better assure safety, only inside city limits. NICTD has said positive train control will not work with Michigan City’s track alignment in the middle of 11th Street.
“If we can deem it an historic corridor, perhaps we can work their needs in with ours and build a new station instead of moving all the track,” he said.
Yagelski said trains could only travel 20 mph in areas without positive train control, and that would not work for South Shore scheduling.