COLUMBUS -- After a game of “political hot potato” between the City Council and the Platte County Board of Supervisors, the council voted to follow the county’s decision on whether to close the East 14th Avenue crossing as part of an East 29th Avenue viaduct project.
Councilmen voted 6-2 Monday night, with Councilmen Joe Jarecke and Charlie Bahr dissenting, to support whatever decision the supervisors make relating to the closure of either the East 14th Avenue crossing or East 44th Avenue crossing as part of the proposed East 29th Avenue viaduct project.
The selected crossing is not expected to be closed until after the viaduct is completed and opened to traffic.
At least two crossing closures -- the crossing being replaced by the structure and at least one adjacent crossing -- are required by the Nebraska Department of Roads and Union Pacific Railroad for state and railroad funding. The state and railroad contributions is typically amount to at least 80 percent of the project cost, which could equal nearly $3.7 million in funding for the $4.6 million cost of the proposed East 29th Avenue viaduct project.
Jarecke stated the council should make the decision regarding whether or not to close a city crossing.
If the city “doesn’t have the guts to close or keep our own crossing then we shouldn’t vote on it,” he said. “This is playing a silly game.”
A few councilmen questioned why the county was trying to push the council to make the decision when the county could take action to make the crossing obsolete.
According to City Engineer Merlin Lindahl, the city limit along East 14th Avenue only extends to the south property line of the Union Pacific Railroad, which includes the crossing.
Mayor Mike Moser described the discussion as “a political hot potato” because the county has jurisdiction to close East 14th Avenue south of the tracks. He said some people think that because the viaduct proposal is a county project with no city funds the county should make the decision to close East 14th Avenue south of the tracks creating a de facto crossing closure.
Supervisor Ron Pfeifer said the county is simply trying to work with the city to display unity for the project and the East 14th Avenue crossing closure to make the change occur more smoothly.
Pfeifer said the preference of closing the crossing at East 14th Avenue over the one at East 44th Avenue stemmed from East 44th Avenue being paved, where as East 14th Avenue is gravel.
Should an accident occur on the East 29th Avenue viaduct prohibiting traffic to cross then a paved road would provide a better alternate route, he said.
He also noted that if the county “closed the road by themselves it creates more animosity to the county.”
Councilman Chuck Whitney responded, stating “if we elect to close the crossing there would be more animosity toward us.”
Whitney said he wholeheartedly supported the viaduct, but which crossing to close gave him pause because of the potential fallout from the public, and that is why Whitney motioned to force the county to make the first official move.
“If you closed the road, it would be silly to keep the crossing open,” Whitney said.
Councilman Joe Held said he supports the proposed viaduct, but if safety is a primary reason for the closure of the East 14th Avenue crossing then the supervisors could resolve the issues themselves.
The supervisors “could close East 14th Avenue all by itself,” Held said, by “putting a cul-de-sac on the south side of the tracks.”
If they wanted to make it really safe the supervisors could close the East 44th Avenue crossing as well, he said.
Jarecke also questioned the safety argument because, according to data collected by HDR Engineering Inc., the average daily traffic volume across the 14th Avenue crossing is lower than the East 44th Avenue crossing traffic volume.
Lisa Richardson, project manager for HDR, said other considerations include the railroad’s plan for a spur line that would extend across the East 14th Avenue crossing to serve the industrial tract, which includes ADM Co. Inc. and Katana Summit LLC.
With the spur line and speculation of a third mainline through all the crossings, the time the East 14th Avenue crossing would be blocked is expected to increase, Richardson said, and with more tracks to cross at East 14th Avenue than at East 44th Avenue, the potential for train-vehicle exposures is higher at East 14th Avenue.
Council President John Lohr pointed out that if the East 14th Avenue crossing were closed, and the voters of the city approve the 23rd Avenue viaduct proposal, it would create a silent, horn-free corridor along the Union Pacific main line from East 29th Avenue through town.
Following the vote, Pfeifer said the county is expected to take action at its Dec. 16 supervisors meeting.
In other news, the council:
n voted John Lohr as the new council president.
n approved a resolution to award low bid to General Excavating of Lincoln in the amount of $684,965 for Water Extension District No. 59, 33rd Avenue and 66th Street and Central Community College-Columbus.
n approved a resolution to award low bid to General Excavating of Lincoln in the amount of $213,190 for Behlen Lift Station Renovation Project, north of 23rd Street/U.S. Highway 30 and east of the Loup Power District canal.
n approved a resolution to approve an agreement between the City of Columbus and HDR Engineering Inc. for professional services for Solid Waste Transfer Station and Recycle Center Study, not to exceed $48,557 without the city’s written consent.
n approved a resolution to award low bid to Obrist & Co. in the amount of $47,575 for 24-inch Water Main Project at Lost Creek Parkway and 33rd Avenue.
n voted for a resolution, as part of the consent agenda, to approve an agreement between the City of Columbus and Gilmore & Associates Inc. to provide airport management services.
n voted for a resolution, as part of the consent agenda, to approve of specifications and purchase of one sedan and two utility vehicles for the Police Department from the current State Bid Contract in the amount of $66,433.
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