IDOT Open House – Let’s Crash the Party!!

This just in from Steve:

To Rail Rally Participants

The House Railroad Industry Committee originally scheduled to review HB 4626 this Wednesday, October 7th, has been postponed by Speaker Madigan at the request of Chairmen Van Meter and Mayor Davlin. The county and city are providing IDOT and UP time to put together a Memorandum of Understanding that will confirm an Environmental Impact Study will be initiated on the 10th Street corridor and mitigation money allocated for 3rd Street will be used to mitigate 10th Street if the EIS shows it is the better place to consolidate all railways (3rd and 19th Street).

In place of the hearing, we are encouraging all of our friends to join us at the IDOT Open House, Wednesday, October 7, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3000 South Dirksen Parkway. We plan to get together at 5:30 p.m. however you can go on your own anytime between 4 and 7. They will have comment forms available for you to let IDOT know how you feel about their support of UP’s second rail on 3rd Street for increased freight. Organizers of the open house have indicated that “the public meetings will be an open house format, so you may visit the event at any time. There will be a continuous PowerPoint presentation and exhibits that provide an overview of the Environmental Assessment, purpose and need, summary of improvements and constraints, and next steps. Representatives from IDOT will be available to discuss the study and answer your questions.”  They could not confirm whether or not officials from UP would be present.

Let’s make sure IDOT knows that no matter how late they are holding a meeting to tell us what they have already decided to do, we are a well educated group, we know the main issues, and we resent having been talked down too and insulted by the Secretary. Remember (9/5/09) “This is the only alternative (Third Street) that’s going to work. The other alternative is walking away,” Hannig said in a conference call with the editorial board of The State Journal-Register. “We have to ride the horse that we have, and that’s Third Street,” he said. And then again (9/9/09) SJ-R summed up Hannig’s view from an second conference call in two sentences: 1.) This is the only plan we’ve got so get used to it. 2.) Hey, Springfield, shut up about this and don’t blow our chance at $2 billion in federal money. Well the only thing to shut up in Springfield will be the train whistles once we get the tracks consolidated and create a 5 mile quiet zone with a surrounding green way and a bustling multimodal center for travel and commerce.

Steve Combs on behalf of the Grassroots Coalition for Consolidation