PIERRE , S.D. — The federal Surface Transportation Board released its final environmental impact statement on November 19 regarding DM&E’s proposed expansion and upgrade project that would allow the railroad to add coal to its list of shipped products, the Capital Journal reports.
The environmental study essentially approves of the DM&E project with suggested construction guidelines. It does not recommend that bypasses be built around cities that had requested them, including Pierre and Brookings.
If the project is realized, more than 30 trains would eventually pass through town daily at higher speeds than the lumbering trains that currently bisect Pierre carrying wood chips, grain and clay.
Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Rick Jorgensen said it appears the STB sought public opinion on the project for no apparent reason, at least in terms of input on the bypass.
“Why even have the public hearings?” Jorgensen asked. “Because – you know –
they didn’t pay any attention to any of it.”
Jorgensen said he believes the DM&E upgrade would have a drastic effect on the entire communities of both Pierre and Fort Pierre if it is seen to fruition.
“It isn’t just going to be isolated to one group, it’s going to affect everybody,” Jorgensen said. “Yesterday’s decision was a big step for DM&E; it’s a major roadblock for the rest of us to deal with.”
The Ramkota Inn sits next to the railroad tracks along the Missouri River in Pierre. General manager Rick Murray said he is disheartened by the bypass portion of the environmental study.
“We’re disappointed in the fact that the bypass was ignored,” Murray said. “We were hoping, not only for our business but also for the safety factors around Pierre.”
Though negotiations for a bypass between DM&E personnel and local officials are still possible, the EIS lends support to the railroad’s position that circumventing cities would unnecessarily jeopardize the project due to the cost.
Murray said, “I think it gives (DM&E) a little more leverage in saying, ‘If you want the bypass, you guys help pay for it.’ With economic conditions right now … I don’t know if that’s realistic.”
With more trains passing by and increased noise, Murray said the DM&E project could hurt the Ramkota’s business. The sound of the trains still penetrates the hotel despite noise insulation measures.
“You can still hear the trains, there’s no way around it. There is a noise factor and it is going to bother our guests,” he said. “People come to a motel to sleep or for business.” However, Murray said he is at least as concerned about the safety of the children who stay at the hotel and what would happen if they were to play near the tracks unaccompanied by adults.
“The safety factor is a big concern for us,” Murray said.
Local officials have expressed concern in the past about emergency vehicles moving across town when Pierre only has one road overpassed by the tracks near the King’s Inn downtown. That will likely mean traffic congestion on Pierre Street when vehicles are scrambling to pass under the train.
This point is of particular concern to Jim Russell, chief executive officer of St. Mary’s Healthcare Center, who said he hopes a bypass is still an option. The hospital is positioned to the south of the railroad tracks while much of Pierre’s population lives to the north.
Russell said ambulances could face longer waiting periods at railroad crossings, but his chief concern is the possibility of higher-speed trains derailing. Motels and other businesses along the tracks would be threatened by the physical damage, and he said it would freeze local north/south traffic.
“How is a large percentage of our population going to get to a health care facility?” Russell asked. “The experience of major derailments where cars actually roll down into the motel is very limited … but it really sort of bothers me.”
Russell said he believes there will be a push to construct more overpasses if a bypass is not built.
Murray and Jorgensen both organized letter-writing campaigns imploring the STB, a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to recommend a bypass.
However, they both said they do not oppose the DM&E project otherwise.
Jorgensen said, “The project itself has a million merits to it, but it has that many things against it going through our town – for safety reasons, for noise, for inconvenience. It’s just going to be a real detriment to our community.”
Jorgensen said he believes the next step is for community citizens and leaders to gather together to decide what can be done, whether it means fighting the project or working toward an amicable solution with DM&E.