Grade-separation projects in Springfield, Ill., and Sheffield, Ala., are among the latest projects to receive grants under the Department of Transportation’s RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) program.
In Springfield, a $19.8 million grant will fund an overpass at North Grand Avenue over Norfolk Southern and Illinois Midland rail lines. In a press release, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis called the award “a major step toward completing the transformative Springfield Rail Improvements Project,” which is relocating two rail lines into a single corridor and includes a series of grade-crossing separation projects.
In Sheffield, WAFF-TV reports $2 million will help fund design and construction of a bridge over the Norfolk Southern near Montgomery Avenue, addressing a crossing that is frequently blocked and opening “a consistently reliable route through town,” according to U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt said.
Should Representatives Davis and Aderholt be touting the award money when they each voted ‘nay’ for the bill authorizing the money?
While I can understand the desire to get the very long UP freights away from the state capitol building and build overpasses so traffic is not tied up, I am not in favor of moving Amtrak away from the downtown district and historic train station. The few short Amtraks (plus the Eagle) do not greatly tie up downtown, plus the tourists prefer to be near the statehouse.
Steven: Agree—would go one serp farther and restore the second track as a siding just at the station. That would speed up any additional trains in the future. As well both direction trains at same time. also storage of a springfield terminator.
Well, if Stephen Gardner and his henchmen get their way the Eagle won’t be calling at Springfield much longer. But yes Messers Jones and Aroesty you are absolutely right that ILDOT should have designed this initiative so as to keep the current route for passengers only. It’s nuts to make folks use a station far from where they want to be. Then again, ILDOT doesn’t seem to care that Amtrak has discontinued (temporarily ha, ha, ha) one of the CHI-CDL round trips. And that same DOT caved to Glenview’s threats of legal action if plans for capacity expansion on the Metra Milw North Line between there and Northbrook were not dropped. So ILDOT didn’t care that the chance to reduce freight-related Metra delays and add three more Amtrak CHI-MKE roundtrips was lost.
While your request to keep the route next to the older station in downtown is admirable, the line has too many safety issues south to Illes. The boat to rip out that line through downtown has sailed and left the dock.
Illinois taxpayers paid hard dollar to convert that line with all new concrete ties and welded rail and now that money has been wasted as they will take it all up once the new station is built to newer federal standards for handicap access, non-gendered restrooms and more real estate for parking.
Springfield would like more hotels built between where the new station will be and where the Capitol is.
BTW: Has anyone actually been to Springfield recently? The real estate around the capitol building is made up of nothing but offices for labor and public service unions, trade associations and other offices for law firms and PR agencies that run cover as lobbyists and influencers.
It is essentially a “mini-swamp”.