(Special to TRA) - October 13, 2015 - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is proposing rail improvements for a major choke point at the Neches River Bridge in Beaumont, Texas. TxDOT will hold a Public Open House on Wednesday, October 21 for interested parties. The bridge is a key component of the Sunset Route between the West and East coasts, used by hundreds of freight trains a week as well as Amtrak service.
The proposed project would improve rail operations through the Beaumont area by providing a second rail crossing of the Neches River. The project would support and enhance industrial facilities utilizing rail, marine and highway services in the Beaumont region. Four different alignments are part of the study.
The corridor through the City of Beaumont includes the only river crossing in the region, a single track vertical lift span bridge owned and operated by the Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway. The bridge averages 7-8 lifts per week which result in train delays while ships navigate the river below. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) conducted a feasibility study for this crossing of the Neches River in 2013. The current study will complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. A purpose and need statement is fundamental to developing a proposal that will require NEPA evaluation such as an Environmental Assessment (EA).
Interested parties are encouraged to join TxDOT at the Public Open House for this project on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, anytime from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Central Park Community Center, 2925 Fannin Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701.
The proposed project would improve rail operations through the Beaumont area by providing a second rail crossing of the Neches River. The project would support and enhance industrial facilities utilizing rail, marine and highway services in the Beaumont region. Four different alignments are part of the study.
The corridor through the City of Beaumont includes the only river crossing in the region, a single track vertical lift span bridge owned and operated by the Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway. The bridge averages 7-8 lifts per week which result in train delays while ships navigate the river below. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) conducted a feasibility study for this crossing of the Neches River in 2013. The current study will complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. A purpose and need statement is fundamental to developing a proposal that will require NEPA evaluation such as an Environmental Assessment (EA).
Interested parties are encouraged to join TxDOT at the Public Open House for this project on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, anytime from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Central Park Community Center, 2925 Fannin Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701.