HomeMy WebLinkAbout19355 - RESOLUTIONS - 9/2/1998 RESOLUTION NO. 19355
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM
' SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING THE GRADE
SEPARATION PROJECT AT COLTON, CALIFORNIA
AND EFFORTS TO SECURE STATE AND FEDERAL
FUNDING.
WHEREAS the efficient movement of people and goods is essential to the health and
economy of the region and the nation; and
WHEREAS freight railroads play a pivotal role in interstate commerce; and
WHEREAS the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the major ports of entry on
the Pacific Coast; and
WHEREAS tremendous growth in railroad operations, particularly intermodal and
other through-freight, has resulted in significant community impacts; and
WHEREAS the demand for rail shipments will continue to grow with the expansion of
the Ports, the completion of the Alameda Corridor and population growth in the region;
and
' WHEREAS the main lines of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific,
the only major railroads operating in Southern California, carry the majority of rail
freight traffic between the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the rest of the nation
and Mexico on their routes through the Inland Empire; and
WHEREAS these railroads must cross each other at Colton Junction; and
WHEREAS Colton Junction has been identified as the major choke point for rail traffic
in the region, where an average delay of fourteen minutes per train triggers substantial
congestion and blockages along the corridors; and
WHEREAS diesel emissions caused by multiple locomotives idling along the corridors
while waiting to cross Colton Junction further exacerbate the unhealthful air quality in
the South Coast Air Basin, the worst non-attainment area in the nation; and
WHEREAS railroad congestion has resulted in many freight shipments being shifted to
diesel trucks on the region's already congested highways; and
WHEREAS railroad congestion in Southern California has caused expensive delays to
local shippers as well as to manufacturers and others throughout the country; and
' WHEREAS these same main line freight corridors are utilized for the provision of
commuter passenger rail (Metrolink) and intercity passenger rail (Amtrak) service,
whose operations are consistently impacted by freight congestion; and
WHEREAS insufficient operating capacity has delayed the implementation of other C�1_
passenger rail services, including service betwen Los Angeles and the Coachella
Valley; and
015�6c)�,
Res. No. 19355
Page 2
WHEREAS the federal Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty-First Century (TEA- '
21), identifies the "Alameda Corridor East" and the "Southwest Passage" as eligible
corridors for federal infrastructure funding, and further identifies NAFTA-related
improvements as a priority for federal funding; and
WHEREAS Colton Junction is located at the eastern terminus of the Alameda Corridor
East and near the western terminus of the Southwest Passage, and most NAFTA rail
freight into or through Southern California is carried on the BNSF and UP main lines
across Colton Junction;
WHEREAS the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has identified
these corridors and NAFTA improvements as priorities within its recently adopted
Regional Transportation Plan; and
WHEREAS the State of California, through Caltrans, is initiating a Project Study
Report to further refine the project and identify appropriate resources.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm
Springs, that it does hereby endorse and support the efforts of the Riverside County
Transportation Commission in securing the necessary federal and state funding to
construct a separation of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads
at Colton Junction. '
ADOPTED this 2nd _-day of September 1998.
AYES: Members Barnes, Hodges, Oden, Reller-Spurgin and Mayor Kleindienst
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST: CITY OF=3H CALI-ORNIA
By ���
City Clerk City Manager
REVIEWED & APPROVED AS TO FORM--Z