New Central Park might lead to street closures downtown
Development of the long-anticipated Central Park along Madison's east isthmus rail corridor could mean closing streets to safeguard parkgoers, rail officials say.
Closing streets would mean fewer train whistle blasts, which many residents detest, but closures would also lead to more traffic congestion in the already constricted isthmus. The issue is sure to strain the historically testy lines of communication between residents and rail officials.
The state Office of the Commissioner of Railroads is poised to recommend that if the park is developed -- drawing more foot, bicycle and vehicle traffic -- two of the six streets crossing the railroad tracks in the park area should be considered for closing. The park would stretch along the rail corridor between Paterson and Baldwin streets.
The office is targeting Livingston and Brearly streets for possible closure, said Tom Clauder, an investigator with the state railroad office.
Crossings are considered for closure, Clauder said, "when we see several redundant crossings, where it would make pedestrian and vehicle traffic safer.
"We're all about safety," he said.
Upgraded crossings at Blount, Paterson, Ingersoll and Baldwin streets also would be recommended, Clauder said. The area could qualify as a "quiet zone" -- with no train whistles at all -- if federal standards for lights and gates were met at all those streets, and at nearby Blair Street as well.
No decisions on closing streets would be made until after a public hearing, Clauder said, with Railroad Commissioner Roger Breske making the final call.
A consultant hired by a city task force is now mapping a design for the park that assumes the existing railroad tracks will stay where they are. Plans to move the tracks were abandoned this spring over concerns that the cost would be prohibitive. State rail officials say they are waiting to see the revised plan before taking their next step.
Ald. Marsha Rummel, whose district includes the park site, is concerned about how street closings would affect traffic on the isthmus.
"It's hard to imagine a grid of streets connecting the city across the isthmus getting closed," she said. "It goes against all our thinking about connections and getting around."
Safety is a primary concern, but there already is a lot of traffic crossing the tracks, she said. "If you can't get across the isthmus without going downtown, that seems not very urban-friendly."
Lindsey Lee, owner of Ground Zero coffeehouse, wants to see a comprehensive plan for the park and changes to transportation patterns before venturing an opinion on the suggested street closings.
"I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea. But I don't know if it's a good idea," said Lee, whose shop at 744 Williamson St. is near Livingston Street.
Lee, who also lives in the area, said he'd most like to see a reduction in the train whistles, which now sound four times at each crossing. Federal rules require train engineers to sound two long whistle blasts followed by one short and a last long blast at each crossing.
"We may have to lose a little to gain a bit," said Lee, a longtime member of the Greater Williamson Area Business Association.
Michael Jacob, president of the Marquette Neighborhood Association, said his group would tend to support anything that would improve safety along the rail corridor.
"It's an idea that makes sense; it's an idea that likely would have a lot of support," Jacob said. "But if the public participation process is not complete, there will be challenges. None of us needs that."
BOTH Jacob and Lee say that past interactions with railroad officials have left residents and business owners in the area leery.
Wisconsin & Southern Railroad and the state Office of the Commissionerw of Railroads have been "heavy-handed" in past discussions of rail horn soundings and proposed street closings, Jacob said.
Former railroad Commissioner Rodney Kreunen and Wisconsin & Southern President Bill Gardner battled Madison officials over an isthmus whistle ban that ended in 2006 when federal officials required gates and lights for any "quiet" crossing.
The railroad stirred opposition in 2005, when it petitioned the state to close crossings at three east isthmus streets: Brearly, Paterson and Ingersoll.
The railroad took the proposal off the table as plans for Central Park began to emerge, said Ken Lucht, community development manager for Wisconsin & Southern.
The company is now reasserting its support for street closures, although officials won't say which crossings they favor until the revised park plan is completed and made public, Lucht said.
The closures are needed for current conditions and will become only more necessary if the park attracts thousands more people to the area, he said. Aside from cars, a greater number of pedestrians crossing and trespassing on the tracks is also a concern.
What's more, the company projects a 25 percent increase in rail traffic through Dane County by 2010. "We're not trying to do this unilaterally," Lucht said. "Although we could if we chose to. We're choosing a coordinated, comprehensive approach with the city and the railroad commission to address safety in the entire east corridor."
He also said that if one goal is to make train whistles less frequent, closing streets would save taxpayers money because upgrading crossings to federal standards would cost between $150,000 and $250,000 for each crossing.
Money for such a project could come from a variety of sources. State money is available for improvement of crossings and possibly could go toward the closing of streets at crossings, according to Clauder. The city of Madison has set aside $1.4 million in its capital budget to make rail crossings meet "quiet zone" standards, though not until 2011. Lucht said that Wisconsin & Southern would pitch in "if we are convinced the plan would increase public safety and reduce trespassing."
Jacob stressed that the prospects for changes at the rail crossings are tied to an open, public process. "We have smart, active, engaged people here who can help. They need to be embraced," he said.
