Residents living near Rate Park in Chicago are not giving up their effort to stop a planned Amtrak service facility from being built in their neighborhood. A federal assessment found the project’s impact would be “insignificant,” while opponents say it will be felt by 6,741 residents of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood who live within 500 feet of the planned rail carrier facility.
Amtrak wants to begin construction in January of next year. The rail carrier says the project will improve passenger rail service, reliability and safety, and will create new jobs. “They use terms like ‘insignificant’ without any real context explaining what that actually means in practice,” said Ald. Nicole Lee of the 11th Ward. “They keep using this term ‘insignificant,’ and, you know, that really irritates me, because the lives of 6,741 residents living within 500 feet of this rail yard, at the spot where construction is planned, are not insignificant,” the alderwoman added.
Opponents of the Amtrak project say that locating the facility on the grounds of an existing rail yard between 33rd and 35th streets will cause noise and air pollution, among other problems. Meanwhile, the environmental impact analysis noted concerns about contaminated soil and groundwater and suggested building a sound barrier to reduce noise.
In a joint statement, Amtrak and Canal Edge, the entity responsible for the potential new White Sox stadium, said the project “represents an important investment in the future of passenger rail, infrastructure reliability and safety, and employment opportunities in the Midwest.”
BK
Source: Polski.FM
