(The Center Square) — Federal authorities have said a proposed Amtrak maintenance facility project has the environmental all-clear a little over a week after conceding to local opposition over the perceived impacts of the project locally.
The new facility would be built on an existing 2-mile-long railyard owned, but decreasingly used, by Union Pacific. The stretch of rail infrastructure in Bridgeport, near the Chicago White Sox’s current home, Rate Field, also runs adjacent to the Chinatown and Armour Square neighborhoods.
The project has been granted $659 million by the Federal Railroad Administration and more than $125 million from future White Sox owner Justin Ishbia through Canal Edge, his firm poised to develop a new White Sox stadium on the site of Amtrak’s active railyard.
Hannah Dembosky, founder and co-lead of activist group Bridgeport Environmentalist, told The Center Square that the Amtrak-conducted environmental assessment wasn’t what opponents were asking for.
“We were worried that this was going to happen in a very rushed opaque manner and unfortunately, with the release of these documents coming around 10 or so days right after the announcement that they were going to do the environmental assessment, that is basically what we’re seeing,” Dembosky said.
The assessment found the proposed site would have an “insignificant impact” on the surrounding area. Demboski disputed the findings, noting a variety of environmental issues that weren’t considered.
“We do think there’s a lot of really gaping holes in what this report looks at that very much paints Amtrak’s project in a favorable light. A shocker considering Amtrak’s the one who put this together,” Dembosky said.
She said things like particulate matter from diesel engines running near hundreds of adjacent residents and loud generators were just some of the issues.
Dembosky also suggested her organization thinks the current railyard to the north would be a better investment for the federal government, while potentially being less costly for taxpayers.
The other half of the issue Bridgeport residents and politicians see is the financial interests of Ishbia.
Dembosky questioned the billionaire’s conflicting interests, the haste to start the rail project, the timeline of both projects aligning, and noted Ishbia and his family’s political contributions.
“He and his family have donated a large amount to, you know, Republican campaigns in the midterms. I believe his family has donated millions in the MAGA PAC. He himself donated a lot to [U.S. Sen. Pete] Ricketts’ campaign in Nebraska,” Dembosky said.
Alderman Nicole Lee, who represents the 11th Ward where the planned project is located, similarly criticized the haste with which the assessment was completed in an online statement Saturday.
“This assessment process, which Amtrak and the FRA only agreed to under intense pressure, is woefully insufficient. Amtrak and Canal Edge, LLC have an explicit financial interest in ensuring this project moves forward quickly,” Lee said.
The Amtrak project would begin as early as January, projected to be complete around August 2028. The project was announced in mid-August, and Amtrak has held fewer than a dozen public meetings to address public concerns since.
Amtrak announced its plan for more public meetings to hear community feedback, with virtual events and one in-person meeting at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 2.
The federal project is required to take public comments for 30 days on the environmental assessment, which are open online through Dec. 7.
— Sean Reed, The Center Square
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