I thought one of the reasons we gave Warren Buffet $27 million was to build a new switchyard and storage outside of town, but that hasn’t stopped the RR from storing cars in downtown. I took these pictures of more than 30 cars (including petroleum) around 13th and Cliff and more cars going North and South over the bike trail bridge.
We have spent $27 Million of Federal taxpayers money to move train storage and switching out of downtown, but it hasn’t happened. The RR redevelopment was negotiated very poorly, just like the downtown parking ramp. The taxpayers got stiffed.
Several weeks ago, early on a Saturday morning, I was stopped by a ‘bomb train’ (from the Bakken oil fields) which was sitting across Cliff Avenue just north of the 14th Street intersection.
I arrived on the bridge just south of the tracks at 6:21. I waited and waited until finally I was the only one left on the bridge. Everyone else had made an illegal U-turn and taken a different route. At 6:45, 24 minutes later, I did the same. The train was still at a complete standstill.
This is a major north-south route through our city. So, 27 million federal tax dollars later, we’ve removed 3 tracks DT and now are blocking traffic outside of DT.
It appears the only real winner in this situation is Warren Buffett.
Huether got his media days to blow his ego up and out of proportion for a few days while taxpayers get sucked dry.
I’ve been trapped downtown too. On 2 occasions it was 100 car slow moving trains that took 15 minutes. If there are fewer trains, they are longer and at the worst time of day. How about another 10th Street like Viaduct over 8th Street? I’m tired of being trapped at 8th and Railroad so I’m forced to shop or dine there.
27 million for Buffet, but no millions to expand ObamaCare/Medicaid to South Dakota….. Does the government really work for the people?
EC – the other thing that has puzzled me on the deal is while I understand the RR owned part of the land that wasn’t tracks by the old switchyard, how could they own the land the tracks were on? Isn’t that a Federal Easement? So while I can see maybe giving them money for a couple of acres and the switchyard construction, why would the Feds BUY their OWN LAND? We got hosed.
L3wis, I was wondering that too and you have brought this up before, but the following Congressional research answers our concerns, I believe:
http://congressionalresearch.com/RL32140/document.php