(The following appeared on the Lake Wales News website on August 16.)
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Just how many trucks can State Route 60, U.S Highway 27 and U.S. Highway 98 handle should CSX build a massive rail transfer facility between Lake Wales and Bartow?
While there were plenty of questions and concerns raised Wednesday during a public hearing on the 218-acre project, the vast majority centered around traffic issues, after the Central Florida Regional Planning Council indicated its studies showed there would be no “substantial” increase on most local roadways.
A CFRPC staff report concluded that the only “significantly impacted” roadways “where the project traffic contributes at least five percent of the roadway peak-hour service for volume” would be State Road 60 from County Road 655 (Rifle Range Road) to Pollard Road and S.R. 60 from Pollard to U.S. Highway 27. Pollard is the main access road to the site, located east of Rifle Range Road, that is proposed to be built. There will be no immediate vehicle access to the site from the north.
The report said a total of 1,939 vehicles, including a “mix of cars and trucks and other heavy vehicles” could be expected once the project is online. The majority are expected to be semi-trucks loading or unloading rail cargo, including a heavy emphasis on automobiles. Much of that work would be done between midnight and 8 a.m., according to officials. The rail transfer project would produce 110 full time jobs, the vast majority of which would have salaries of over $30,000.
However, the planning group’s own report conceded that “there is very limited trip generation data available” for such facilities, and that most of their conclusions were based on observations at similar but smaller sites in Tampa and Orlando.
Still, CFRPC Executive Director Pat Steed said her staff concluded that there will be no “significant” impact on any highway other than S.R. 60.
“There’s enough capacity on 60,” Sneed said abut projecting She also noted that CSX would be required to monitor traffic counts, and that a new plan would have to be considered if traffic exceeded 115 percent of projections. In addition, CSX would pay for a traffic light on S.R. 60 if the Florida Department of Transportation deems one necessary at the newly created intersection.
Tom Deardorf of Polk County’s Long Range Planning Department said his staff concurred with the report’s traffic findings.
“The applicant stated this morning that there is a limited amount of traffic associated with this project and therefore a limited amount of traffic impacts or improvements required,” Deardorf said. “Our county staff agreed with that assessment. However, its going to be crucial to make sure we have an effective and efficient monitoring plan in place. If the traffic turns out to be higher, then we need to know that as early as possible.””
Several speakers took exception to the reports findings, including the City of Lakeland which claimed the project would cause traffic issues on U.S. 27 and 98.
“With a site like this, where does the truck traffic go? It’s going to go on 60 and 27 and 60 and 98. That’s where the bottlenecks will be,” said Jim Studiale, Lakeland’s community development director.
A resident who’s property borders the site was very critical of the numbers as well.
“I find it remarkable that the amount of truck traffic that this site will produce is only being addressed in such a way that borders comical,” noted MIke Chiavuzzi in a letter to the planning board.
“Citizens familiar with the roads in question can tell you that the additional traffic produced by this facility will strangle the road network and lead to future costs to the taxpayers in terms of fixing this debacle. It is quite obvious the amount of pressure and influence a multi-billion dollar corporation like CSX can wield. The lack of detail being provided by CSX for what is to be the “mother of all rail yards” is a sad statement on a project that will most likely cost the taxpayers of this region more than it will be worth.”
A number of speakers likened the plan with a similar facility in Alliance, Texas, a rail-transfer and distribution site that has 600,000 “lifts” a year on and off rail cars.
“I left there with one thought: This is a bonafide brass ring for Eastern Polk County,” said Jack Barnhart, representing the East Polk Committee of 100, after visiting the site. “We have an opportunity that comes along probably once in the community’s lifetime. We cannot pass this up. People looking for jobs, Frostproof, Fort Meade, Lake Wales, this one project is going to pull people back to Polk County. We need to get beyond the personal and political ramifications.”
Lake Ashton resident Wally Krouson, who also said he had been at the Texas site, spoke against the proposal. He said additional truck traffic that is likely to be generated to the site from Port Manatee should have been included in the study.
“The bottom line, in my opinion, this DRI study has been carefully crafted to eliminate the major impacts to the residents of central Florida,” Krouson said. “Alliance is a truly planned facility, away from a populated area, near a large airport and interstate highways. The proposed facility has none of these features. The claimed benefits of this facility are simply not good for the central Florida residents. This facility should be moved to an appropriate site.”