Solutions
New Lenox Village Trustees are pursuing a measured response to the proposed sale of the EJ&E Railway to the Canadian National Railway. The Village believes that it is more prudent to seek remediation from the railroad than mount an all-out campaign of opposition with no fall-back position. Village trustees approved a resolution requesting the STB to require the Canadian National to do the following:
- Construct grade separation crossings where feasible
- Install quad gates at all at-grade crossings to facilitate quiet zones
- Transition from one to two tracks outside of the Village
- Install barriers or sound walls between the tracks and residential areas
- Construct pedestrian signals at each crossing
- Allocate resources and address risks associated with the increased hauling of hazardous materials
- Provide a reduction of freight traffic to accommodate the proposed Metra STAR line
New Lenox hired the Chicago law firm of Querrey & Harrow, Ltd. to represent the Village. New Lenox will also consult with traffic and engineering experts to determine the impact of increased rail traffic–and blockage of crossings–on first responders (read letter from New Lenox Fire Protection District / letter from Police Department / map of NL emergency services), school buses (read comments from Lincoln-Way High School), noise and land-use plans (view a list of pending New Lenox developments), especially with increased traffic and development from the opening of I-355.
