Aldermen push for answers as $500,000 Nineteenth Street study moves forward

Alderman Gregory pressed city staff on Oct. 28 for details about the city's planned study of the Nineteenth Street rail corridor, saying East Side residents had been promised improvements years ago and deserve clarity on timing and scope.

The study is part of a larger $10 million rail grant the city secured; staff said $500,000 of that grant is designated to study the Nineteenth Street corridor'including whether partial or full abandonment is feasible'and that the remainder of the grant will be used for construction and other project elements. "We have had multiple meetings with the CN Railroad, to discuss the overall Nineteenth Street corridor and what their kind of their long term outlook on that corridor is," said Mike Hansen, a city staff member, during the discussion. "They are interested in potentially maybe abandoning part of that corridor and maybe in the future even full abandonment."

Why it matters: The corridor runs through residential neighborhoods on Springfield's East Side. Aldermen said tracks and crossings in poor repair have created safety and accessibility problems for residents, and they pressed staff on whether the community would be engaged before design decisions were made.

What staff said: Hansen told the committee the feasibility study will include public meetings and outreach "to see what the desires for that overall corridor…