Comment EI-22934
Received or sent (printed as 5/21/2016)
Surface Transportation Board Docket No. FD 35952 GLBT Railroad project I live on W. 191st Ave less than ½ mile south of the proposed rail line. Within this small square area bordered by State Road 55 on the east and Grant St. on the west (1/2 mile apart). There are 26 people ranging in age from 2 to 67. Our only access north is Grant St. and SR 55 which would both be crossed by this rail line. There are no other roads to take going north. It is our only direct way into town, to the grocery store, to the gas station, doctor's appointments or the hospital. It is the only way for an ambulance, fire truck or NIPSCO to get to us unless they went 7 miles around and crossed another rail crossing if it was open. Rural living already lends itself to longer emergency response times on it's own without the addition of added rail road crossings. These 2 tracks can handle 110 trains a day plus a 200 foot right of way can support an additional 4 tracks. It would be like every time you left your house or came home you caught the same red light over and over and over. In this small square area are 10 kids from kindergarten to high school who's only way to school is over these 2 railroad crossings. That's 3 different school buses each crossing these railroad tracks 4 times a day. Sound travels a lot farther in open areas compared to sound blocked by rows of houses, trees and buildings. We can hear the CSX train 2 miles southwest of us! The unending night and day noise of trains and crossing alarms on this proposed rail would negatively affect our quality of life. 2 years ago we had had a tornado that totally closed our road with downed trees, downed a row of 13 utility poles, collapsed large grain bins and there was a natural gas supply line leak . The area was without power for 5 days. Emergency services, NIPSCO and any Lake County help came down SR55. Again, it's our only direct way out or in. On April 8 south bound I-65 was shut down for 5 hours because of major accidents from ice on the road. Whenever I-65 is regularly shut down because of bad roads or serious accidents the closest major state road alternate is this SR 55. Train traffic would hinder that back up of big trucks and vehicle traffic. The only alternative would be to divert I-65 traffic through the small town of Lowell to US 41, down to Route 10 to get back to I-65. An extra 12 miles. During the winter Grant St. in this area routinely blows over with snow and is impassable leaving SR 55 our only way out. It's not just me in this small area. It's like this for the majority of the people who live here. Most of these rural areas in Lake County have no other alternate roads to get around this rail line. This proposed rail line, crossing Grant St. and SR 55, would box us in, severely limit our access to any emergency services, endanger bus loads of kids and destroy the quiet peacefulness of the rural lifestyle we chose. I respectfully request that the STB deny the above referenced project. Sandy Linden 1150 W 191st Ave. Lowell, IN
Submitted by: Sandy Linden · Lowell, IN
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-35952/comment/EI-22934 · back to the docket sheet