2015/11/23 - Walter's Blog: Venita Overpass and CSX Rail Line
There has been renewed attention this week to the CSX railroad issue, so this may be a good time for a recap and update.
Back in August, CSX abruptly closed the rail line running through O’Fallon, stating that the line is closed temporarily but providing no information on their intentions when or if it may be reopened.
Unfortunately, the City of O’Fallon had recently completed a $6.8 million overpass over the railroad at Venita Drive. The overpass project was paid through a combination of 60% state grant ($4,095,941), 35% City match ($2,389,299), and 5% CSX contribution ($341,328). We inquired with CSX about the status of the O’Fallon rail line when we began the project and they told us it was a viable line. It is also reasonable to assume that CSX would not have agreed to contribute $341,328 to the project if they knew they were closing the line. However, circumstances change and CSX may have later felt it was in their economic interest to temporarily close the line.
We were asked “why would the City of O’Fallon build a $6.8 million railroad overpass when CSX was going to close the railroad?” The simple answer is, we wouldn’t. Of course, we would not spend the money for an overpass if the railroad had told us they were closing the line. There are many other things we could spend the money on to improve the community.
Within the past few weeks, we have learned that CSX filed applications with the state and federal governments for a temporary closure, meaning they will continue to maintain the line but will not run any trains. They have not indicated that the line is being permanently abandoned. There has been some discussion about turning the railroad into a walking/biking trail, but that is not possible unless CSX abandons the line entirely. So while there have been new media stories this week, the situation is basically the same as in August: the line is closed but we don’t know for how long or what CSX intends to do.
O’Fallon has had an overpass on the east side of town (Seven Hills Road) for many years and it had been a priority to build an overpass on the west side for at least 15 years. CSX trains often stopped at Venita to change drivers, so traffic would back up at the crossings and the waiting could be extreme at times. About five years ago, we received a state grant to fund 60% of an overpass at Venita Drive. The local match was 40% but CSX agreed to pay 5% of the project. With most of O’Fallon’s growth in the north and west areas of town, the City Council felt it was important to provide an efficient method for traffic to cross the railroad tracks and travel to Hwy. 50 and I-64.
In addition, a new fire station was needed on the west side of O’Fallon so that fire personnel could quickly respond to a call for service without having to travel through the City. It was essential for emergency vehicles to have quick access to both the Hwy. 50 commercial corridor and the residential neighborhoods to the north and west. Having fire stations located strategically throughout the city keeps our ISO rating low and reduces property owners’ insurance rates. At the time of construction of the new fire station, in August 2014, CSX did not indicate to us they would be closing the railroad.
We do our best to provide services and projects for the best taxpayer value, and if the closure turns out to be temporary then the overpass will still be a worthwhile project. In the meantime, motorists can enjoy no waiting on all of O’Fallon’s railroad crossings!