HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 98-110�
RESOLUTION NO. 98-110
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
�"' PALM DESERT, CALIFORI�IIA IN SUPPORT OF RAILROAD
TO RAILROAD GRADE SEPARATION PROJECT AT
COLTON, CALIFORNIA
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, particulazly 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 Ageless, 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 these same main line freight corridors aze utilized for the provision of commuter
passenger rail (Metrolink) and intercity passenger rail (Amtrak) service, whose operations are
""� consistently impacted by freight congestion, and
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Resolution, Page 2
WHEREAS insufficient operating capacity has delayed the implementation of other
passenger rail
services, including service between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley, and
WHEREAS the feder�l Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty-First Century (TEA-2.1),
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 temunus of the Alameda Corridor East
and neaz 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, and
WHEREAS the southern California association of Govemments (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 that the Mayor and City Council of the City of
Palm Desert do 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.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Palm Desert City
Council, held on this �lOtt► . day of September , 1998, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
E T:
HEILA R Gl
City of Palm D
CRITES, FERGUSON, KELLY, SPIEGEL, BENSON
NONE
NONE
NONE
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Clerk
JEAN M. BENSON, Mayor
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