02-19-1998 Regular Meeting and Public Hearing of the La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission

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• • Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes of February 19, 1998 Page 3 of 6 Working on the project with Mr. Toups are a land planner, civil engineer and a rail consultant. Mr. Toups introduced the rail consultant, Mr. Dick Schieffelbein. Mr. Schieffelbein explained that the impact of this project on the railroad crossing would be relatively minor. Mr. Schieffelbein wanted to explain the difference between Strang Yard and the industrial lead that this project will be, as well as, explain what is likely to happen when Union Pacific gets its congestion problems corrected and diverted traffic returns. Mr. Schieffelbein noted that the Federal Railroad Administration maintains an inventory of all railroad grade crossings in the country and the data held on this crossing indicates there are 25,590 daily vehicles passing over the crossing. The rail traffic is 14 trains, broken evenly, 7 during the day and 7 during night. Overall, this intersection has high vehicular traffic and relatively low train traffic. The operating speed of the crossing is 20 mph. The crossing is not considered to be unsafe, with only one accident reported during the last five years. Mr. Schieffelbein explained that the line that comes out of Strang Yard crossing Fairmont Parkway stub ends in Seabrook. The Bayport Complex generates approximately 400 cars of product daily, equating to 400 empty cars coming into the complex to be loaded and 400 loaded cars leaving the complex. The average train length is between 55-60 cars. At 20 mph, a 60-car train would occupy the Fairmont Crossing for two minutes, depending on the speed of the train. The effect of adding the proposed Texas Export-Import Center would be approximately 25 additional cars per day. At 70 tons per carload, the project would handle 1750 tons of product. Twenty-five additional loads would not be enough for Union Pacific to add an additional crew, meaning an additional train would not be crossing Fairmont Parkway. In total 25 additional cars would add about 55 seconds to the time it takes for a train to cross Fairmont. Mr. Schieffelbein added that the portion of the project located behind the warehouses, next to the Union Pacific Railroad Track are some tracks that could serve this project. The use of four of those tracks would probably be offered to Union Pacific allowing them to preposition empty cars for loading all at once at non-peak hours instead of throughout the day. Mr. Schieffelbein explained that this project is nothing like Strang Yard. Strang Yard switches over 1000 cars daily and this project, including loads and empties would only amount to approximately 50. Strang switches 24 hrs. per day, the work in this facility would only take one hour per day. Strang is a hump yard. This project will only have an industrial lead type of switching operation.