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Jefferson County board backs letter of support for proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger
Summary
After engineers said the merger could improve crossing safety and routing, Jefferson County supervisors voted to authorize the chair to sign and email a letter of support to the Surface Transportation Board for the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger.
Jefferson County supervisors on Oct. 27 voted to authorize the chair to sign and email a letter of support for a proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C.
Supervisors said the line at issue only marginally traverses Jefferson County’s northwest corner, but the county engineer reported recent infrastructure and siding work and said corridor improvements tied to a merger could reduce delays and improve crossings where tracks intersect county roads.
The motion to authorize the chair to sign the letter was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.
Why it matters: the board’s support is a nonbinding local input to a federal regulatory process. Supervisors said infrastructure upgrades that accompany consolidation could be beneficial locally if they improve crossing safety and reduce impacts on county road assets.
Next steps: the chair will sign and send the letter; staff will follow any federal docket notices and report back to the board.
