(The following story by Susan DeMar Lafferty appeared on the Suburban Chicago News website on February 6.)
MOKENA, Ill. — If Canadian National is allowed to acquire the EJ&E Railroad tracks, Mokena wants to place some restrictions on the proposed sale.
Trustees unanimously passed a resolution at Monday’s board meeting detailing how they want CN to mitigate the negative impacts of its additional freight trains and pay for it.
The EJ&E lines now form the southern boundary of the village from Wolf Road west past 116th Avenue, abutting Marilyn Estates and the Bridges of Mokena subdivisions. If CN is allowed to acquire those tracks, it plans to operate at least 28 trains per day, carrying additional hazardous materials.
Together and as a village
The village is speaking out on its own and through a consortium of affected Will County municipalities.
“We feel strongly that these things need to be considered,” Mayor Joe Werner said during the meeting.
According to the resolution, it is requesting the Surface Transportation to make these mitigation actions a condition of the pending sale:
• Move the proposed transition point between double and single tracking from just east of 116th Avenue crossing to a location where there is no residential development.
• Install quad gates or grade separations at the Wolf Road and 116th Avenue crossings.
• Install barriers, such as sound walls or earthen berms, along both sides of the track, from Wolf Road to Schoolhouse Road to buffer adjacent residential areas.
• Provide new bicycle/pedestrian crossings with gates at both locations.
• Allocate resources to address the increased risks of transporting additional hazardous materials and provide a detailed written plan of how hazardous waste spills would be handled.
The STB has required CN to complete an environmental impact study and will conduct public hearings at a later date.