La Follette Avenue
High-Speed Rail Corridor Group

Waubesa Street to Winnebago Street and Anziger Court
aka most of Census Track 20-Block Group 4, per the 2000 census

home page

Responses to questions

PDF of responses. Questions were submitted to Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials and consultants by Dan Melton, Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association representative to the Corridor Management Plan Flocus Group on behalf of the La Follette Avenue High-Speed Rail Corridor Group. Dan submitted the questions October 13; seven days later, consultant Caron Kloser returned the answers below:

Responses to questions submitted by the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association on behalf of the La Follette Avenue High-Speed Rail Corridor Group

1. What is the name of the federal regulation dictating requirement for fence in urban high-speed RR corridor? Where is it available online? How can we access it?

There is no regulation dictating fencing within an urban environment. The recommendation for fencing is based on an operational preference that is strongly influenced by public safety, railroad security, and liability. The final decision on fencing locations and types will be made with input from the corridor management plan process.

2. If the train slows down farther out of town, would the need for a fence be eliminated?

The decision to install fencing is not based on speed, but on safety factors such as site distances and trespassing. Fencing may not be required continuously along the corridor within the city of Madison to achieve safety requirements.

3. Can residents and property owners request the addition of a legal pedestrian-bike crossing with appropriate design to eliminate the need for train horns? If so, how? How likely is request to be granted?

The design will accommodate existing public bicycle/pedestrian crossings. The City of Madison government would need to request additional crossings through the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads. Governing agencies may file for crossings through the OCR.

4. What will be done to control rail noise from passenger AND freight trains, including train horns, sound of cars shifting, sound of wheels on rails, clanging of cross signals?

The crossings will be designed to standards to allow Madison to request a Quiet Zone status from FRA. With a Quiet Zone, trains horns would not be sounded unless the engineer felt there was potential danger. The new road bed and welded rail will reduce the sounds of shifting cars and eliminate the clicking sounds presently heard as each train wheel passes over a rail joint.

5. Is there a plan or proposal to build a double set of tracks anywhere between Waubesa Street and Winnebago Street? Are there drawings that show that possibility? How can we see them?

At this time we are not planning on installing a double track in this area. The track design for Madison is still underway, but we can bring a preliminary set to the group meeting.

6. Can residents and property owners request soundproofing walls instead of fencing? If so, how?

The study team is in the process of finalizing noise and vibration studies. If the increased operations create an impact, mitigation measures will be evaluated. Mitigation measures must be both feasible and reasonable to be included in the final design. Noise mitigation that is both feasible and reasonable will reduce the noise impact, but would not eliminate the sounds of the train or provide “soundproofing”.

7. How can individual property owners find out about the anticipated physical impact on their property? Who can they contact? What is the plan for the government to continue to inform property owners adjacent to the railroad right of way in advance of construction starting?

Property owners can contact Caron Kloser at 414-410-6776 and she will arrange for project staff to contact you about specific questions. In spring 2011, the department will host a public information meeting about 2 to 4 weeks prior to construction to inform residents and stakeholders about anticipated construction techniques and schedules. The project website will also include information on construction activities. You can also submit questions to Wisconsinrail@dot.wi.gov for more specific questions.

8. Will individual property owners have their homes seized or condemned?

No.

9. What is the communications plan for people wanting to report safety and maintenance issues once the high-speed train is active? Residents' sense of ownership of space may decline and so they no longer will mow, trim trees, picking up trash, etc., on railroad property. Who is and will be responsible for those tasks? Who will be responsible for removing graffiti that will be sprayed on the fence? What is the minimum required of the railroad? RR maintenance consists now of chopping down and dumping vegetation in the corridor and dumping herbicide along the tracks to kill weeds.

WisDOT will develop a maintenance agreement with Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) to address these issues. The agreement will identify a point of contact for maintenance concerns. Residents’ concerns may also be brought through the CMP focus group process to identify and respond to specific maintenance concerns that should be considered and addressed in agreements.

10. How can property owners find out how crossing signals and the fence, if it is installed, will be placed in relation to their property lines? Requiring property owners to attend a public meeting in December or January to ask that question is unreasonable, the group feels.

All fencing and signals will be placed within the railroad right of way. Detailed information on placement will be determined in spring 2011. Preliminary fencing locations will be presented at the November focus group meeting; engineering staff will be able to address fencing issues at that time. Input from the November meeting will be used to refine fencing locations and type. You may also contact Caron Kloser to identify an appropriate project representative to speak with owners about specific concerns.

11. What will happen to property values, especially for homeowners

adjacent to the corridor?

The Environmental Assessment reviews potential effects on property values. At that time, the EA noted that existing studies indicated property values of homes within one thousand feet of an existing railroad track are lower compared to homes with similar characteristics in similar neighborhoods. Thus, it would be expected that the current value of homes in the project corridor reflect their proximity to the existing tracks. Previous studies do not account for the effect of increased activity in low-activity corridors.

The effect on property values will likely vary depending on local market conditions and conditions of individual properties. Some decline may occur during construction and initial operation, and due to uncertainties about project impacts. As noted in the EA, residents adapt to rail operations, as demonstrated in the eastern portion of the project corridor where the CP Rail mainline corridor travels through communities. Over time, it could be expected that real estate values will stabilize and that rail operations on an existing track have little impact on values beyond the existing proximity impacts.

As a result of this potential impact, WisDOT committed to the corridor management plan process to help mitigate potential impacts to adjacent properties.

12. What will happen to the deadends of streets? Will the ends of the street be redesigned? If so, how? Which governmental entity handles that and how can residents and property owners try to influence that process?

Existing dead-end streets would remain unchanged unless the track profile or drainage needs require retaining walls and/or grading, in which case the dead-ends will be redesigned. New dead-end design will also occur at locations where closures of existing crossings are proposed. WisDOT will design these roadways to local municipal standards. Within the city of Madison, discussions have included cul-du-sacs and possibly "hammer-head" ends to the roads to allow for turnaround movements. The CMP focus group will have input on design.

13. How can residents be "compensated" for loss of green space?

The Corridor Management Plan process is a commitment WisDOT made to the City of Madison to address the concerns of local residents and maintain the safety and operations of the passenger rail service.

14. Can trees between Talmadge and Ohio deadends be retained?

Public and rail operations safety will factor into decisions to retain or remove vegetation. Existing vegetation will be reviewed as a part of the fencing design work. Depending upon the fencing location and construction, vegetation may need to be removed. The HSR design team is also concerned for the safety of the train from fallen limbs and trees.

15. How is the city studying the effect of closed streets on response time for fire and ambulance service?

The streets proposed for closure are located within a block of other streets that will remain open. The effect on response times should be minimal.

16. With fences, how will utilities access their buried lines? Cable, internet and power lines run parallel to the tracks.

The design is accounting for utilities in the corridor. The design team is working closely with utility companies to locate and relocate utilities, as needed, for construction and future operations and maintenance.

La Follette Avenue High-Speed Rail Corridor Group

home page

Web site is published by Karen Faster, 133 Ohio Avenue, Madison WI 53704
rail@ohioavenue.com

Posted October 23, 2010