Comment EI-13116
Received or sent (printed as 9/24/2008)
Carol & Charles Rowe Finance Docket Number 35087 22 Elm Place Lake Zurich, IL 60047 Phyllis Johnson-Ball Surface Transportation Board 395 E St SW Washington, DC 20423 Dear Phyllis Johnson-Ball, September 23, 2008 Our property boarders the EJ&E railway in Lake Zurich, Illinois and we are most concerned with the issues of increased rail traffic if the Canadian National buys EJ&E. The most obvious concern for us is the train noise and vibrations. These issues devalue our property and reduces the salability and price of our home. Our direct neighbors and good friends whose property also boarders the tracks have put their house on the market in an attempt to sell before the EJ&E buyout! We also feel the need to move if the buyout is allowed to go through. We don’t want to move; it would mean leaving our home, friends and community of 12 years and mostly, a larger mortgage payment of which we cannot afford in this economy! Second is the increase of traffic congestion during rush hour times. Currently during rush hour it is nearly impossible to turn south on to Ela Road from our Hillmans Subdivision. Starting around 4pm, west bound Rt 22 traffic, turning south on to Ela Road already backs up traffic from the light at Rt 12 and Ela, causing traffic to wait in the turn lane on Rt 22. With the addition of more trains during rush hour, more traffic will back up on Rt 22 to make the turn and make it so we residents will be unable to turn south, having to go north to attempt a detour. A difficult task as Lake Zurich has no other north/south through streets. My third concern and question is about the cost to the American tax payer. Why in the world should we shoulder the cost of the needed upgrades to the railway crossings for a private business, Canadian or otherwise? Illinois has more important road improvements that need to be attended to first, that have been waiting for years for funding. We can’t afford to put the need of CN, a private business, before the needs of the many. How far back will this push other more pressing projects that have been waiting funding? The CN will be taking far more from Illinois citizens than will ever be returned to them. Where is the benefit to the people of the United States, faster product to the markets? That’s not a need or a want that is looking to be filled by anyone other than Canadian National, a private foreign company looking to take the American taxpayer on a one way ride. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Carol & Charles Rowe
Submitted by: Carol Rowe · Lake Zurich, Illinois
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35087/comment/EI-13116
File docketyard.org/document/40be4a89986ffa02f80a34900d24186fe11e96422dde1d735ccad21a96de3532.docx · back to the docket sheet