We’ve gotten several emails on notifications that the Union Pacific application to construct an additional siding tract to parallel the existing rail tract. The purpose of the tract is to allow slower trains to stop and faster trains to pass.
To summarize, from Dorsett at Everest to Howard Lane, Union Pacific will raise the track a bit in our neighborhood, building up the “retaining wall” for the track on both sides, and building the access driveway off Dorsett Road. (note folks: this is a layman read. This is not an engineering analysis. we’re asking our resident expert to come off vacation and look at the plan on our behalf)
Other maintenance work on the track looks like it will be on the part of the track that is further north from our neighborhood and up to Howard Lane.
An important item to note is that the private driveway across the railroad by Enchanted Forest is slated to be closed, which should eliminate the need for trains to blow their horn at that part of our neighborhood.
The City’s Case No. is SP-2008-0564D and should be referenced along with “UPRR -McNeil Siding Improvements”. Letters are to be sent to City of Austin, Watershed Protection & Development Review, Dept. P. O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767-1088 attN: Nikki Hoelter. Nikki’s phone is 974-2863
As said above, we have a call into our neighborhood railroad expert – we’ll post a followup.
