Comment EI-23947
Received or sent (printed as 6/20/2016)
Please see the concerns below of our beloved Kankakee River State Park. These are the words of another, but shared by many. These should all be carefully considered. The Kankakee River State Park should be included as a major concern. Park land should not be easily moved to other purposes. I did some research on the area and did the numbers on the proposed river crossing. It would dramatically change the landscape at the park. We need to have many voice concerns about the impact to the park and Camp Shaw. Here are my concerns in a letter to the STB: I am writing to express my concerns for the impact to the Kankakee River State Park by the proposed Great Lakes Basin Railroad, and to ask for an additional scoping meeting in Kankakee County. River Crossing The proposed route would have the railroad cross though the Kankakee River State Park, and over the Kankakee River adjacent to Warner Bridge road. The proposal calls for a flyover that would cross Illinois Rt. 102, the Kankakee River, and Illinois Rt. 113. This structure and land build up around it would have a major impact on the tranquility of the park, habitat, sightlines, and wetlands. The Kankakee River has been designated a National Recreation Trail. This portion of the river is popular with canoe and kayak enthusiast, and has the potential of being a camping location on the newly designated trail. There are river-side camping facilities directly adjacent to the proposed rail route. The proposed route would be incompatible with the use of the park. Massive Structure To create a fly over to go over a single road requires a good amount of excavation, to clear two highways and a river, the elevation would be massive and need to be 2 miles in length. According to Geological Survey, the elevation of Rt. 102 at the proposed crossing is 613 ft. above sea level. Rt. 113 is around 610 ft. above sea level. The two highways are about 3,000 ft. apart. The real challenge and major impact comes between these roads at the Kankakee River. The river sits at 550 ft. above sea level. Warner bridge sits at about 570 ft. above sea level, and has a fairly steep grade down to the bridge from both highways. To maintain the elevation of the railway a massive structure would need to be built at around 640 ft. above sea level to allow the required highway clearances at both Rt. 102 and Rt. 113. This is 90- 100 ft. above the river and surrounding valley. The structure to support this would need to be massive, and would be very wide on either side of the river impacting wetlands, nesting grounds, and fisheries. If earthen, the excavation would have to be 300 ft. wide to support the height of the track. This would completely alter the scenic and undeveloped landscape. The height of this structure would impact flight paths of nesting eagles, and migratory water fowl. The footings and support structure would impact wetlands, nesting grounds, and river flow. Construction would have significant impact to the wildlife of the area. In the event of an accidental derailment, the sheer height of the track would all but assure significant environmental impact, even with the most secure railcars. Sound Being so high above the valley, the sound of passing trains would carry for miles along the river. The rail crossing would also be within a ½ mile of a Kankakee River State Park campground, which would destroy the serenity found there, resulting in reduced usage, and financial impact to the park. This area is cherished for it’s peaceful, serene environment and is used by thousands each year. The area is also known as a historical Indian hunting and trading grounds with artifacts and memorials. Approach Not only does the proposed route cross through the park, it follows Rock Creek from Manteno to the River, and comes within a mile of the Rock Creek area of the park. This area is some of the most scenic in the park with waterfalls, wildlife, and Indian memorials. This is sacred ground to many, and is incongruent with a railroad. Also nestled along Rock Creek is Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See, a year round camp and retreat center. The creek runs through camp creating water sounds throughout. It is a tremendous place to camp, and is utilized by scouts, church groups, and is a popular place for weddings. A railroad less than a mile from this park would ruin the serenity and cause significant financial impact as groups seek other options. This is one of the largest areas of untouched land in the region, the proposed route is simply too close to provide the enjoyment this area has provided for hundreds of years by Native Americans and early settlers. This are has intentionally remained undeveloped. Alternatives There are many alternatives to this proposed route. A project of this magnitude should fit a broader regional and national transportation plans. The developer has not shown how it relates to other projects such as CREATE that are already working to solve transportation issues in the area. This project is a corridor of convenience for the developers and has not been vetted by any regional transportation experts, and aligned with existing transportation plans and initiatives. The 6 -month waiver has unjustly short changed the ability to get more information from regional authorities regarding existing plans. We should not be comfortable with the developer providing a solution to a problem he defined. The impact is too great. This is not a small siding, and should have not been granted a waiver. Allowing a 6 month notice for the largest rail project in 100 years seems more than reasonable. Please revoke the waiver and require that the developer actually provide what was required by 49 CFR 1105.10, not simply a promise to hire a consultant. The public has been short changed by the waiver. Please Hold another Scoping Meeting in Kankakee County Due to the short notice, and lack of media attention prior to the only Kankakee County Scoping meeting, I ask that you schedule another scoping meeting in Kankakee County. The lack of notice and public awareness created in part by the 6-month waiver has created a disadvantage to the people of Kankakee County by not giving many the opportunity to address you, face to face, that other communities enjoyed. The meeting here, was in no way reflective of the level of concern in the community. Why is this justified? The impact to the Kankakee River State Park, as well as the county is to great to justify given the lack of demonstrated need. Please revoke the waiver, take no action, or share with us what you know that makes this a viable enough project to utilize the resources of your agency and hundreds of others forced into responding. Thank You
Submitted by: Jason & lindsay kokos · grant park, il
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-23947 · back to the docket sheet