Railroad project rests on outcome of new survey report
NORWICH – The Chenango County Industrial Development Agency may be as little as one week from making decision concerning the fate of the Utica Main Line that spans from Greene to Sherburne.
Having recently completed a field survey of damage to the line, the CCIDA is currently awaiting a final report from Stone Consulting, Inc., the Pennsylvania based engineering firm that was contracted to assess total damages. According to the CCIDA, that report – with new estimated costs of the project – is expected to be made available to the county as early as next week.
If estimated costs far exceed earlier estimates, then it’s possible that local officials will put the brakes on the project.
While preliminary estimates of repairs to the railroad topped $5.9 million, there was good news and bad news that came from the field survey which examined every section of the 45.5 miles of train tracks, explained Commerce Chenango President and CEO Steve Craig.
“The good surprise is we don’t need nearly as many ties as previously thought,” Craig told county officials at a meeting of the Planning and Economic Development Committee in May. “Another good surprise is the alignment, the gauge, and condition of the steel rails are good ... The only thing that is worse than previously thought is the condition of the bridge timbers.”
Bridge timbers are larger than regular ties and cost more money per foot, he added. “So we need fewer ties, but more bridge timbers and right now, we think that the cost of the two might balance out.”
Nonetheless, the CCIDA has concerns about the cost of railroad ties which is higher this year than previous years. Higher costs could be attributed to a number of factors including the recent economic downturn and weather related damages to railroads in other regions of the country. Either way, more railroad companies are investing in ties this year, Craig said, and it’s driving the price up.
In addition to assessing condition of rail ties, Stone Consulting also surveyed damage of bridges and railroad crossing conditions, as well as road beds and drainage issues, and it addressed challenges of making the rail line more resilient to flooding conditions in the future. The CCIDA is coordinating with the Chenango County Department of Public Works to correct some of these issues should the project continue to move forward.
“If any work is done this summer, it will be to the road bed,” Craig said in a phone interview on Tuesday. Because replacement of rail ties requires use of the train tracks, restoring damaged areas of the railroad bed is a priority, he added. “I don’t think replacement of rail ties will happen this construction season.”
Assuming cost of the project will fall at or below original estimates, Craig said the CCIDA will put the repair project out to bid this summer and hopefully begin construction by early fall. The biggest problem areas are in the Town of Norwich and in southern Chenango County in the areas of Brisben and the Town of Greene.
“Right now, I think we’re looking at a project that’s very doable,” he added. “Like most construction projects, I think the sooner we can do it, the lower the costs will be.”
The Utica Main Line has been inoperable since 2006, when heavy flooding caused severe damage to the railroad. Damage was exacerbated by more flooding in the fall of 2011, and again in the summer of 2013.
In June, 2013, the CCIDA accepted a $4.7 million grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) to cover 80 percent the estimated cost of the restoration project. EDA funding supplements a separate $772,722 grant awarded to the CCIDA in 2011 by the New York State Department of Transportation.
Chenango County government also pledged up to $200,000 for the project in 2012, though early estimates suggest actual cost to the county may range between $150,000 and $180,000.
Remaining cost of the project will be footed by private and local entities: $112,500 from the Development Chenango Corporation; and $85,825 from the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation (NYS&W), proprietor and operator of the Utica Main Line.
NYS&W has also agreed to a 10-year commitment to maintain the railroad as a stipulation to grant funding. In 2013, the CCIDA renewed a 10-year PILOT agreement with NYS&W and currently holds title to the line through that agreement.
If repairs to the line do exceed the estimated $5.9 million benchmark set prior to flooding sustained in 2011 and 2013, then the project may go no further than the recently completed survey, Craig said. The 80 percent commitment from the EDA would then help cover cost of the engineering report, and the county would get back its investment.
Grant funding from the state Department of Transportation is contingent on the restoration project being completed. If not completed, the CCIDA would lose that support.
NYS&W is soliciting local businesses to increase interest in using the Utica Main Line which connects the City of Utica to larger trunk lines in the City of Binghamton.
Having recently completed a field survey of damage to the line, the CCIDA is currently awaiting a final report from Stone Consulting, Inc., the Pennsylvania based engineering firm that was contracted to assess total damages. According to the CCIDA, that report – with new estimated costs of the project – is expected to be made available to the county as early as next week.
If estimated costs far exceed earlier estimates, then it’s possible that local officials will put the brakes on the project.
While preliminary estimates of repairs to the railroad topped $5.9 million, there was good news and bad news that came from the field survey which examined every section of the 45.5 miles of train tracks, explained Commerce Chenango President and CEO Steve Craig.
“The good surprise is we don’t need nearly as many ties as previously thought,” Craig told county officials at a meeting of the Planning and Economic Development Committee in May. “Another good surprise is the alignment, the gauge, and condition of the steel rails are good ... The only thing that is worse than previously thought is the condition of the bridge timbers.”
Bridge timbers are larger than regular ties and cost more money per foot, he added. “So we need fewer ties, but more bridge timbers and right now, we think that the cost of the two might balance out.”
Nonetheless, the CCIDA has concerns about the cost of railroad ties which is higher this year than previous years. Higher costs could be attributed to a number of factors including the recent economic downturn and weather related damages to railroads in other regions of the country. Either way, more railroad companies are investing in ties this year, Craig said, and it’s driving the price up.
In addition to assessing condition of rail ties, Stone Consulting also surveyed damage of bridges and railroad crossing conditions, as well as road beds and drainage issues, and it addressed challenges of making the rail line more resilient to flooding conditions in the future. The CCIDA is coordinating with the Chenango County Department of Public Works to correct some of these issues should the project continue to move forward.
“If any work is done this summer, it will be to the road bed,” Craig said in a phone interview on Tuesday. Because replacement of rail ties requires use of the train tracks, restoring damaged areas of the railroad bed is a priority, he added. “I don’t think replacement of rail ties will happen this construction season.”
Assuming cost of the project will fall at or below original estimates, Craig said the CCIDA will put the repair project out to bid this summer and hopefully begin construction by early fall. The biggest problem areas are in the Town of Norwich and in southern Chenango County in the areas of Brisben and the Town of Greene.
“Right now, I think we’re looking at a project that’s very doable,” he added. “Like most construction projects, I think the sooner we can do it, the lower the costs will be.”
The Utica Main Line has been inoperable since 2006, when heavy flooding caused severe damage to the railroad. Damage was exacerbated by more flooding in the fall of 2011, and again in the summer of 2013.
In June, 2013, the CCIDA accepted a $4.7 million grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) to cover 80 percent the estimated cost of the restoration project. EDA funding supplements a separate $772,722 grant awarded to the CCIDA in 2011 by the New York State Department of Transportation.
Chenango County government also pledged up to $200,000 for the project in 2012, though early estimates suggest actual cost to the county may range between $150,000 and $180,000.
Remaining cost of the project will be footed by private and local entities: $112,500 from the Development Chenango Corporation; and $85,825 from the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation (NYS&W), proprietor and operator of the Utica Main Line.
NYS&W has also agreed to a 10-year commitment to maintain the railroad as a stipulation to grant funding. In 2013, the CCIDA renewed a 10-year PILOT agreement with NYS&W and currently holds title to the line through that agreement.
If repairs to the line do exceed the estimated $5.9 million benchmark set prior to flooding sustained in 2011 and 2013, then the project may go no further than the recently completed survey, Craig said. The 80 percent commitment from the EDA would then help cover cost of the engineering report, and the county would get back its investment.
Grant funding from the state Department of Transportation is contingent on the restoration project being completed. If not completed, the CCIDA would lose that support.
NYS&W is soliciting local businesses to increase interest in using the Utica Main Line which connects the City of Utica to larger trunk lines in the City of Binghamton.
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