As you know, the big news in Jefferson currently is the railroad overpass proposal for North Elm Street. It may be scheduled to begin sometime next year. What is your take on this 10.5 million dollar construction project?
12 comments:
Anonymous
said...
First of all, let me say I will be surprised if this actually comes to pass. Given the lack of substantial growth in population and traffic, this project looks like pure pork. The railway intersection worked fine when Jefferson had a larger population and more business traffic. Why doesn't it work now? Secondly, if it does go, I predict it will cost much more than $10.5 million. 12 to 15 is a better estimate. Lastly, expect a lot of flack from the community when the contract is awarded to a heavy highway/bridge contractor rather than Shriver Construction, Cunningham Const.& Roofing, or any other local firm that couldn't do the job or acquire bonding. Also expect to see the community complain that very few jobs are created during construction. They will expect the contractor to hire local individuals when in fact whoever gets the contract will be doing everything it can to maintain its existing in house labor force. Just my 3 cents.
Greene County and Jefferson have been getting stimulus money for years and years in the form of crop subsidies for farmers. From 1995 to 2006, Greene County farmers were paid $181,125,430 for doing nothing. That averages out to over $15 million a year. They grew corn and soybeans and the federal government paid them millions. Absolutely free money! If $181 million dollars over 12 years couldn't spark growth (and it didn't), a measely $10 to $15 million bridge will do nothing, particularly when an outside firm will have to come in and do the work.
I agree with Sarge when he thinks the bridge looks like pure pork. The only positives I see about this project is safety and convenience. With a bridge, you're less likely to get run over by a train and definitely won't be inconvenienced by being forced to wait for a train. I think a bridge project will have next to no positive impact on the economics of Jefferson. They should have built this bridge 40 years ago, not today.
The leadership in Jefferson wouldn't have the slightest idea of what to do with stimulus money other than to make sure it lined the pockets of a very small group of people in town. That would be business as usual in Jefferson.
Well let's thank the previous poster all around for his non-support of this project. In spite of his comments, I believe this will add job opportunities and increase access to the downtown business district. Those merchants have been hurting for years because of that train crossing. This has been a long time coming and it is about time to make it happen.
What will actually drive the overall cost up and make this project moot would be the additional street level travel lanes going both North and South built to serve elderly citizens unable to drive up and over the bridge to get to Fareway and Carroll. These travel lanes would require railway warning devices much like those in place. Also, once these lanes are in place, no one would use the bridge because it would burn more gasoline.
I assume the reason for the over-pass is the increased traffic of the Union Pacific Rail Road over the last several decades. With the slowing of the economy, the train lengths are dramatically lower (not hauling as many cars full of Chinese made goods) in the last few months. Once the economy turns around, the train traffic (and length) will pick up again. If you live on the south side of the tracks, getting to Fareway and other merchants north of the tracks, or going to your job in Carroll, Boone or Ames, and possibly having to wait several minutes for a train, sometimes two, to pass can put a crunch on your schedule.
If I were to move back to Jefferson, I'd live north of the tracks for unimpeded access to groceries or a job out of town. Plus, some of the house lots on the north side of the tracks are pretty good sized, a little more country feel to living there. To be honest with you, there isn't much to see on the south of the tracks in Jefferson.
Rick: Can you confirm which mode of transportation passes over the other?
I think I said this before, but it makes more sense for me to have Highway 4 go under the tracks. If you go over the railroad with the highway, the northbound traffic will be 50-60' above nearby grade.
Maybe they'll go under it going North and over it going South, or the other way around. This makes much more sense to me rather than having it all under or all over. Also, this would be sure to drive up the cost, lengthen the time of construction, and ultimately lead to another overpass due to the sudden and unexpected increase of traffic on Grimmell Road. Maybe some residential paving would occur North of the tracks, in spite of shrill protests by area residents, who would prefer the City of Jefferson to continue oiling them to keep down dust as has been the norm for the last 109 years.
"Maybe some residential paving would occur North of the tracks, in spite of shrill protests by area residents, who would prefer the City of Jefferson to continue oiling them to keep down dust as has been the norm for the last 109 years."
That's not the 'crete in your blood talking, is it?
Are there people out there who actually believe that downtown Jefferson businesses have failed over the years due to the fact that people had to cross railroad tracks to get to them?
A previous poster alluded to the fact(?) that businesses have suffered over the years because of the lack of such a bridge.
People who remember the downtown district in the 60's and 70's will remember the streets being full of traffic, with traffic lights, and a shortage of parking places. Jefferson at the time seriously considered installing parking meters.
It seems to me that there are no businesses remaining downtown that out-of-towners would frequent, even with a railroad bridge. God forbid that a local may have to wait a few moments for a train, when there are people in large metropolitan areas that regularly travel 30-40 minutes to do even basic shopping.
Our sources are saying that this overpass is a done deal. It is merely a matter of when. This will alter the landscape in that part of town significantly.
Just think - for several million dollars, some folks from Jefferson won't have to wait so long for trains anymore.
12 comments:
First of all, let me say I will be surprised if this actually comes to pass. Given the lack of substantial growth in population and traffic, this project looks like pure pork. The railway intersection worked fine when Jefferson had a larger population and more business traffic. Why doesn't it work now? Secondly, if it does go, I predict it will cost much more than $10.5 million. 12 to 15 is a better estimate. Lastly, expect a lot of flack from the community when the contract is awarded to a heavy highway/bridge contractor rather than Shriver Construction, Cunningham Const.& Roofing, or any other local firm that couldn't do the job or acquire bonding. Also expect to see the community complain that very few jobs are created during construction. They will expect the contractor to hire local individuals when in fact whoever gets the contract will be doing everything it can to maintain its existing in house labor force. Just my 3 cents.
Greene County and Jefferson have been getting stimulus money for years and years in the form of crop subsidies for farmers. From 1995 to 2006, Greene County farmers were paid $181,125,430 for doing nothing. That averages out to over $15 million a year. They grew corn and soybeans and the federal government paid them millions. Absolutely free money! If $181 million dollars over 12 years couldn't spark growth (and it didn't), a measely $10 to $15 million bridge will do nothing, particularly when an outside firm will have to come in and do the work.
I agree with Sarge when he thinks the bridge looks like pure pork. The only positives I see about this project is safety and convenience. With a bridge, you're less likely to get run over by a train and definitely won't be inconvenienced by being forced to wait for a train. I think a bridge project will have next to no positive impact on the economics of Jefferson. They should have built this bridge 40 years ago, not today.
The leadership in Jefferson wouldn't have the slightest idea of what to do with stimulus money other than to make sure it lined the pockets of a very small group of people in town. That would be business as usual in Jefferson.
Well let's thank the previous poster all around for his non-support of this project. In spite of his comments, I believe this will add job opportunities and increase access to the downtown business district. Those merchants have been hurting for years because of that train crossing. This has been a long time coming and it is about time to make it happen.
What will actually drive the overall cost up and make this project moot would be the additional street level travel lanes going both North and South built to serve elderly citizens unable to drive up and over the bridge to get to Fareway and Carroll. These travel lanes would require railway warning devices much like those in place. Also, once these lanes are in place, no one would use the bridge because it would burn more gasoline.
Why do they want to build an overpass anyway? Who came up with this idea and why are they doing it now? I agree that it is 40 years late.
I assume the reason for the over-pass is the increased traffic of the Union Pacific Rail Road over the last several decades. With the slowing of the economy, the train lengths are dramatically lower (not hauling as many cars full of Chinese made goods) in the last few months. Once the economy turns around, the train traffic (and length) will pick up again. If you live on the south side of the tracks, getting to Fareway and other merchants north of the tracks, or going to your job in Carroll, Boone or Ames, and possibly having to wait several minutes for a train, sometimes two, to pass can put a crunch on your schedule.
If I were to move back to Jefferson, I'd live north of the tracks for unimpeded access to groceries or a job out of town. Plus, some of the house lots on the north side of the tracks are pretty good sized, a little more country feel to living there. To be honest with you, there isn't much to see on the south of the tracks in Jefferson.
Rick: Can you confirm which mode of transportation passes over the other?
I think I said this before, but it makes more sense for me to have Highway 4 go under the tracks. If you go over the railroad with the highway, the northbound traffic will be 50-60' above nearby grade.
Maybe they'll go under it going North and over it going South, or the other way around. This makes much more sense to me rather than having it all under or all over. Also, this would be sure to drive up the cost, lengthen the time of construction, and ultimately lead to another overpass due to the sudden and unexpected increase of traffic on Grimmell Road. Maybe some residential paving would occur North of the tracks, in spite of shrill protests by area residents, who would prefer the City of Jefferson to continue oiling them to keep down dust as has been the norm for the last 109 years.
"Maybe some residential paving would occur North of the tracks, in spite of shrill protests by area residents, who would prefer the City of Jefferson to continue oiling them to keep down dust as has been the norm for the last 109 years."
That's not the 'crete in your blood talking, is it?
Or is it a fact-infused dose of sarcasm? Or both?
You know it's both, Rich.
Are there people out there who actually believe that downtown Jefferson businesses have failed over the years due to the fact that people had to cross railroad tracks to get to them?
A previous poster alluded to the fact(?) that businesses have suffered over the years because of the lack of such a bridge.
People who remember the downtown district in the 60's and 70's will remember the streets being full of traffic, with traffic lights, and a shortage of parking places. Jefferson at the time seriously considered installing parking meters.
It seems to me that there are no businesses remaining downtown that out-of-towners would frequent, even with a railroad bridge. God forbid that a local may have to wait a few moments for a train, when there are people in large metropolitan areas that regularly travel 30-40 minutes to do even basic shopping.
Our sources are saying that this overpass is a done deal. It is merely a matter of when. This will alter the landscape in that part of town significantly.
Just think - for several million dollars, some folks from Jefferson won't have to wait so long for trains anymore.
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