Bill Text: IL HJR0126 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Recognizes and offers our support for the citizens of Clinton County, Jefferson County, Marion County, and Washington County, in and around the municipalities of Centralia and Mount Vernon in the State of Illinois, in their ongoing effort to develop a plan to reroute train traffic and prevent delays due to train crossings in and around the towns of Centralia and Mt. Vernon and encourages the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and the affected railroads to work with the citizens of these communities to find a timely solution to this issue.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-11-16 - Referred to Rules Committee [HJR0126 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-HJR0126-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The towns of Centralia and Mt. Vernon are home to | ||||||
3 | more than 30,000 Illinois citizens who have been plagued with | ||||||
4 | an ever-increasing number of traffic delays caused by railroad | ||||||
5 | trains that block traffic crossings; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Both towns have numerous street-level grade | ||||||
7 | crossings that are regularly blocked by trains; there are also | ||||||
8 | 2 State of Illinois highway crossings in Centralia and 6 | ||||||
9 | highway crossings in Mt. Vernon, which have created large-scale | ||||||
10 | delays for a higher number of commuters; and
| ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, These delays could have profound public health and | ||||||
12 | safety aspects, should a person requiring urgent health care be | ||||||
13 | confined to an emergency response vehicle that is tied up at a | ||||||
14 | street-level railroad grade crossing; and
| ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, A sharp, curving section of railroad right-of-way | ||||||
16 | leading into Centralia from the south causes some of the most | ||||||
17 | extreme delays, where the maximum speed allowed on the rails is | ||||||
18 | only 10 miles per hour; the grade crossings for these tracks | ||||||
19 | are frequented by both motor vehicle commuters and | ||||||
20 | approximately 40 freight trains a day; with some railroad | ||||||
21 | trains being almost one mile long, motorists must wait for many | ||||||
22 | minutes to cross the tracks; and
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, The residents of the affected towns have spoken | ||||||
2 | out against these aforementioned delays for over a decade in | ||||||
3 | city council meetings and town forums alike and have called for | ||||||
4 | rerouting of rail lines to reduce these delays and health | ||||||
5 | hazards in their daily lives; the municipalities of Centralia | ||||||
6 | and Wamac have both passed resolutions to support this route | ||||||
7 | change; and
| ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, Two potential routes have been identified for the | ||||||
9 | potential route relocation; both routes involve an investment | ||||||
10 | in new track and are promising to unclog the bottleneck areas | ||||||
11 | located in the towns of Centralia and Mt. Vernon; therefore, be | ||||||
12 | it
| ||||||
13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
14 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
15 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize and offer our | ||||||
16 | support for the citizens of Clinton County, Jefferson County, | ||||||
17 | Marion County, and Washington County, in and around the | ||||||
18 | municipalities of Centralia and Mount Vernon, in their ongoing | ||||||
19 | effort to develop a plan to reroute train traffic and prevent | ||||||
20 | delays due to train crossings in and around the towns of | ||||||
21 | Centralia and Mt. Vernon; and be it further
| ||||||
22 | RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Transportation, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and the | ||||||
2 | affected railroads to work with the citizens of these | ||||||
3 | communities to find a timely solution to this issue; and be it | ||||||
4 | further
| ||||||
5 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
6 | presented to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the | ||||||
7 | Illinois Commerce Commission, U.S. Congressman John Shimkus, | ||||||
8 | U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, State Representative John Cavaletto, | ||||||
9 | State Senator John O. Jones, Mayor Becky Ault of Centralia, and | ||||||
10 | Mayor Mary Jane Chesley of Mt. Vernon.
|