Attachment 1 - Narrative.PDF

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City of Eau Claire, Galloway Street Rail Crossing Elimination Project PROJECT NARRATIVE (maximum 25 pages excluding I. Cover Page and Attachments) I. Cover Page Project Title: City of Eau Claire, Galloway Street Rail Crossing Elimination Project Applicant: City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin Federal Funding Requested under the NOFO: FR‐RCE‐22‐001‐100635 ‐ FY22 Railroad Crossing

Elimination Grant Program (CFDA No.: 20.327 – Railroad Crossing Elimination) Proposed Non‐Federal Match, including if the non‐federal match includes preliminary engineering costs incurred before selection: $9,999,600 Other Federal Funding Sources: None Total Project Cost: $12,499,500 Whether prior federal grant application was submitted for the project: None previously submitted for this project site City/State where located: City of Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Congressional districts where located: Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District If project is part of certain transportation plans:

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is updating the 2018 State Freight Plan and is not available for review until Fall 2022, however, our crossing project is not identified in the 2018 plan. The WI State Freight Plan is a long‐range multimodal plan that addresses the state's freight transportation needs and provides a vision for WisDOT’s freight program for the next eight years. The proposed project is the number one priority for the City of Eau Claire and that has been relayed to the WisDOT for their 2022 Freight Rail Update. Galloway Street overpass is identified as a “High Priority” in the Eau Claire 2023‐2027 Capital Improvement Plan as Project # 441‐015 (page 206) and supports the City’s primary strategic goals & objectives for safety and resident mobility of accessible infrastructure and services that are both environmentally sensitive and sustainable https://www.eauclairewi.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/39620/637989390808870000

Wisconsin (WisDOT) Connections 2030 plan repeatedly mentions an intercity passenger rail connection in the Midwest Regional Rail System section of the plan including a new rail station for a future connection of the Hiawatha Passenger Rail Service Connection between Eau Claire, WI and the Twin Cities, MN using the existing UPRR line in our City.

https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/projects/multimodal/conn2030/c2030‐full.pdf .

Is project located in a rural or tribal area: The project is NOT located in a rural or tribal area Is project eligible for a set‐aside: No set‐aside has been identified for funding this project.

US DOT Crossing Numbers: The pedestrian crossing inventory number for the Galloway‐UPRR at‐grade crossing is 183949E while the vehicle crossing inventory crossing number is 921335H.

Who owns property the subject of this application: The railroad is operated and owned by the

Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP). The City of Eau Claire owns the Galloway Street ROW.

ATTACHMENT 1 - Narrative

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II. Project Summary The proposed project will fund final engineering, construction, and environmental review for the elimination of two at-grade crossings (vehicle and pedestrian) at the intersection of Galloway Street and the UP-rail line (UPRR) and replace it with a new, grade-separated overpass and complete connections of the Chippewa River Regional Pedestrian/Bicycle Trail over the UPRR (Attachment 1 – Grant Narrative). The grade separation is expected to eliminate an unsafe pedestrian/bike and a vehicular rail crossing and improve downtown travel time for both commuters and pedestrians and bicyclists, eliminate accidents at the crossing, reduce idling emissions, eliminate vehicular traffic bottlenecks, and provide accommodations for expected future demand for both vehicular traffic/freight traffic and future Amtrak passenger rail service. The project will create a connection onto Ball Street as well as pedestrian and bicycle access from an adjacent qualified census tract (Opportunity Zone) neighborhood into other residential neighborhoods and a popular city park. The City of Eau Claire will provide a 20 percent match as our grant share.

III. Project Funding Our engineering estimate for completion of the engineering design, right-of-way acquisition, roadway overpass construction, and pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Chippewa River Regional Trail is $12,499,500. The City of Eau Claire previously retained an engineering firm to provide a feasibility study for building an elevated grade separated roadway connection on Galloway Street to pass over the at-grade UPRR crossing. This preliminary engineering study resulted in creation of design concepts, 30% design plan and profile drawings, and a preliminary construction cost estimate. The City of Eau Claire plans to use general obligated and segregated transportation improvement funding for this project for our match. Ms. Anna Davey, Regional Rail Coordinator at WisDOT, was consulted regarding our Galloway Street overpass project and she noted that the WisDOT is fully supportive and encouraging us to pursue this rail crossing elimination grant application and new overpass project.

Task # Task Name / Component Cost % of Total Cost

1 City of Eau Claire Capital Improvement Budget $2,499,900

Total Project Cost $12,499,500 100% Federal funds received from a previous grant $0.0 0

Federal Funding request under this NOFO $9,999,600 80% Non-Federal Funding/Match

Cash from City of EC G.O. Account under our CIP

$2,499,900

20%

Portion of Non-Federal Funding from Private Sector: UPRR indicated they could contribute 10% for each of the two crossings eliminated in the project but a formal commitment for this potential 20% match was not received prior to grant upload

$0 0%

Portion of Total Project Costs Spent in a Rural Area or on Tribal Lands

$0.0 0

Pending Federal Funding Requests $0.0 0

Included with this grant application is Attachment 2; Statement of Work; Attachment 3, Project Schedule;

Attachment 4, Project Budget; and Attachment 5, Project Performance Measures. Attachment 6 includes our preliminary project feasibility study of the overpass project. Attachment 7 contains our two Inventory Crossing Reports (Vehicle and Pedestrian) while Attachment 8 contains the rail crossing accident reports for the past 5 years. Attachment 9 is our city grant match letter of commitment for the 20% grant match.

IV. Applicant Eligibility The City of Eau Claire (2020 population 69,421) is a local unit of government and principal city of the Eau Claire, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, locally known as the Chippewa Valley, and part of the larger Eau Claire-Menomonie Combined Statistical Area. The voters of the City of Eau Claire adopted a City Manager form of Government in 1949. It combines political leadership of elected officials with the professional managerial experience of a City Manager.

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Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 64, Subchapter 1, describes the powers of the City Eau Claire Council and City Manager under this form of government. It provides that the City Council is the legislative body and exercises legislative and general ordinance powers for the City. The City Manager is the chief executive officer and exercises executive and general administrative powers for the City. The organization of our City government is further defined under Chapters 2.04 and 2.08 of the City of Eau Claire Code of Ordinances. In November of 1992, the voters of Eau Claire passed a referendum specifying the election of a City Council president at-large, with five Council members elected from five aldermanic districts and five Council members elected at-large. Eau Claire is the only city in the state of Wisconsin to have a City Council president elected directly by the voters.

V. Detailed Project Description The purpose of the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Program is to fund highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. We understand that the FRA has a strong interest in promoting grade separations, closing rail crossings, and funding corridor-wide grade crossing improvements that maximize the safety and efficiency of the U.S. rail network and connect under-served communities. The FRA and RCE report that highway-rail at-grade crossing accidents, together with accidents caused by trespassing along the railroad right-of-way, account for 94% of all rail-related deaths and injuries. The common refrain is that the safest crossing is no crossing, and grade separating or otherwise eliminating crossings is the most direct way to prevent intrusions into the railroad right-of-way. This is our challenge; to remove this poorly configured arterial roadway rail crossing and construct an overpass over two rail crossings to improve safety of our motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians who are at risk every time they approach these crossings. The pedestrian and the vehicle-UPRR crossings are both the highest ranked, at risk of collision, crossings in all of Eau Claire County, making this overpass project our highest priority in the City. By construction of an overpass over the existing at grade crossing, we will improve, CO, CO2, and NOx emissions from idling vehicles, without a crossing to navigate, truck and motorists will move more freely and at higher speeds and get to destinations more quickly, helping combat supply chain issues. In addition, construction of the overpass will lead the way for getting a much needed Amtrak passenger rail system on this track to enhance mobility of our residents, pave the way for local economic development, improve access for our underserved community residents in North Side Hill to both roadway and bike trail access, and provide for the safety of our train, vehicular, and bike/pedestrian users of this important corridor into our downtown and vibrant community River Prairie development in neighboring Altoona.

Our proposed Galloway Street overpass meets all of these RCE objectives as many of our local vehicle commuters, emergency vehicles, and pedestrians and bicyclists intersect with this dangerous Galloway Street-UPRR rail crossing.

Moreover, our Galloway Street- UPRR overpass and two, at-grade rail crossing eliminations fit perfectly with this federal funding opportunity to improve U.S. rail infrastructure to enhance rail safety, improve the health and safety of our residents, eliminate both a highway-rail and regional trail pathway-rail at-grade crossing that are frequently blocked by trains.

Our project will involve creation of an elevated, grade-separated overpass bridge with embankments, pedestrian tunnel to link to trail bridge over the Eau Claire River, and multiple bike/ped trail connections on either side of Galloway Street, as well as a roadway connection onto Ball Street located in the adjoining qualified census tract neighborhood of North Hill. Moreover, our project does not include a railroad track relocation.

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A Union Pacific (UP) main rail line runs east-west through our City. As a transcontinental, Class I line, the UP line connects the City of Eau Claire with Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago, and beyond. A UP spur line also runs north, linking to the Canadian Pacific line in Chippewa Falls. The main UPRR line enters the City through the Gateway West Business Park near County Highway T, crosses the Chippewa River north of the Dells Dam, turns southeast to cross Birch and Galloway Streets, runs along the Eau Claire River, then exits our City by crossing the Eau Claire river west of River Prairie Drive. The northern spur line diverges from the main line south of Mount Simon Park and runs along the southern edge of Dells Pond before turning north to run parallel to Hastings Way on its way to the switching yard near Chippewa Falls. Thus, residential neighborhoods are affected by traffic congestion, noise and air pollution, and traffic/pedestrian safety by both lines.

In 2014, the City of Eau Claire studied the feasibility of establishing a railroad “quiet zone” at the Galloway Street UPRR vehicle and pedestrian crossings. A quiet zone by definition is a section of rail line at least one-half mile long that contains one or more consecutive public highway-rail grade crossings at which locomotive horns are not routinely sounded when trains are approaching the crossings. Train horns may be sounded in emergency situations or to comply with other railroad or FRA rules even within a Quiet Zone. The FRA has established standards or thresholds that judge whether a quiet zone may be established. Normally, federal regulations require that a locomotive engineer sound her/his train horn for at least 15 seconds and no longer than 20 seconds in advance of all public crossings. Although a locomotive horn is an effective deterrent to accidents at certain at-grade crossings, most people know that the noise from train horns creates stress, harms quality of life and sometimes also leads to loss of property value. The City decided not to create a quiet zone and construct a Galloway Street overpass over the UPRR and eliminate the need for an at-grade rail crossing. This will in effect, create a quiet zone as the trains will not be intersecting vehicle or pedestrian traffic and will eliminate the need to sound the horn and create noise pollution in the neighborhood and improve economic viability and safety along the Galloway Street corridor.

As a follow-up to the quiet zone study, in 2016 the City of Eau Claire commissioned an engineering feasibility study of a new railroad overpass bridge carrying Galloway Street and the Chippewa River State Trail over the UPRR tracks to replace the two, existing at-grade crossings and eliminate the need for a quiet zone as well as a Galloway Street - Ball Street connection into our disadvantaged North Side Hill neighborhood. The feasibility study included concept plans, cost estimates, and a report for use in planning and to pursue funding for the project. A copy of the overpass feasibility study is attached to this grant application as Attachment 6.

Vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic have increased significantly along Galloway Street with completion of the River Prairie development in nearby Altoona. Galloway Street is the primary connecting route between downtown Eau Claire and the new, popular development in Altoona. In addition, railroad train traffic increased in recent years elevating our already present safety concerns at the existing Galloway St. at-grade rail crossing. The UPRR expects train movements to increase well into the future.

There are several design issues at this unsignalized crossing with safety being the primary consideration. Providing a safe and efficient crossing of the Union Pacific railroad tracks for our popular Chippewa River State Trail users and Galloway Street vehicles is the biggest benefit associated with replacing the existing at-grade crossing with an overpass bridge, in addition to connectivity to an under-served adjoining neighborhood of North Side Hill. Our frequently utilized regional Chippewa River Trail crosses the rail and roadway at several locations in a severe angle with no signalization. Our proposed project will eliminate this unsafe passageway.

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Several utilities have facilities in this area that would need to be relocated to accommodate the project.

An overpass would involve acquisition of private property adjacent to the crossing as well as one residence in North Side Hill to accommodate the connection onto Ball Street for connectivity between these residents onto Galloway and the Chippewa River Regional Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail.

Galloway Street is the major urban collector connecting the route between downtown Eau Claire and the new River Prairie development in the adjacent community of Altoona. The average daily traffic (8/30/2021) measured along Galloway Street is over 4,400 vehicles and rising. While documented crashes have not been reported at this crossing, the combination of increased train and vehicle traffic poses safety concerns at the existing Galloway Street at-grade railroad crossing.

The City of Eau Claire has water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer along Galloway Street that would be impacted by the project. A 12” diameter water main runs along Galloway Street and crosses the Eau Claire River near the site. A 15” diameter sanitary sewer line follows the old alignment of Galloway Street. Moreover, Xcel Energy has 69kV transmission lines along this corridor in addition to distribution lines to adjacent properties. Xcel anticipates that adjustments would be needed to install two transmission poles, one transmission pole would need to be replaced, and an additional pole would be needed to accommodate the project. The transmission line work would cost about $400,000 and an additional $70,000 in work would be needed on the distribution lines. Communication lines run along the corridor and a distribution building is located just to the east of the railroad crossing. It is likely that the project would impact communication line facilities at the site.

Constructing a railroad overpass at this site would involve acquisition of adjacent parcels and removal of buildings just north of the existing at-grade crossing. In addition, acquisition of one residence along Ball Street (see single large white X in aerial below) is anticipated in order to allow the connection of Ball Street in the North Side Hill neighborhood with improved Galloway Street overpass. Raising the grade along Galloway Street to overpass the railroad tracks enables the consideration of a connection of Galloway Street to Ball Street. Including the Ball Street connection allows for better connectivity of the local street system from the underserved North Side Hill neighborhood and could reduce traffic at the Putman Street at-grade railroad crossing located about 0.6 miles west of the Galloway Street crossing. In order to keep grades along Ball Street to under 8%, the tie-in point requires that one residence be acquired since the Ball Street road grade changes would not allow a reasonable driveway access to the residence. Ideally, Galloway Street should intersect the tracks with a minimum skew and crossings should not be located on either roadway or railroad curves. Roadway curvature inhibits a driver’s view of a crossing and a driver’s attention may be directed toward negotiating the curve rather than looking for a train. Railroad curvature inhibits a driver’s view down the tracks from both the approach to the crossing and from a stopped position at the crossing. Galloway Street crosses the railroad tracks at a severe skew of approximately 65 degrees. Typically, overpass bridge structures are limited to a skew angle with the tracks of about 45 degrees. The concepts developed in our 30% design feasibility study use 45 degrees as the starting point for the layout of the roadway alignment and new structure. Horizontal curves used in the design concepts provide a minimum 35 MPH design speed, up from the current 25 MPH posted speed. Building the project on the existing Galloway Street alignment is not preferred as it would involve a longer and significantly more costly bridge overpass, a higher and more costly Galloway Street road profile, and more extensive, costly retaining walls.

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In order to provide 23 feet of vertical clearance between the top of the tracks and the bottom of the new overpass bridge, Galloway Street will need to be raised over 27 feet. Connecting grades were limited to 5% maximum in line with ADA accessibility guidelines for the sidewalks along both sides of the roadway. The pedestrian underpass connecting to the Boyd Park pedestrian bridge would provide at least a 10-foot-high opening.

When our Galloway-UPRR vehicle and pedestrian crossings are permanently closed to existing traffic and rerouted to the new overpass, the previous crossing roadway surfaces and approaches will be demolished and removed, leaving as few traces of the former crossings as practical. Once our overpass is completed and open to the public, removal of the crossing surface and traffic control devices located at the crossing, such as advanced flashing-light signals, stop lines and RR Xing symbols, and quad gate will be completed. The City engineering department will coordinate with UPRR railroad for future removal actions including, but not limited to, the following: 1.) The City will install the appropriate temporary road closure barriers and advance signing prior to construction. 2. The City will remove all the paving on the approaches to the edge of the grade crossing surface (planking).

3. The UPRR will remove the active grade crossing warning system, conduits, foundations, and grade crossing surface (planking), and will change the ties to be uniform with the track approach ties. 4.

The City will revise the finished grading to remove any parallel drainage pipes and will establish a continuous ditch to avoid a hump in grading to indicate there was ever a roadway. 5. City of Eau Claire will provide sufficient pedestrian re-routing using various methods, including fencing, to prevent trespassing after roadway is closed. The UP may participate in funding for both the Galloway Street and ped/bike crossing closures and overpass.

A prestressed concrete girder structure is anticipated for the overpass. This structure type has proven to be the most cost-effective and involve the least maintenance for this type of crossing. In order to limit the span length and amount of grade raise needed along Galloway Street, it is anticipated that Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls with precast concrete facing panels would be used along each side of the railroad. A single-span, 85-foot long, 36W prestressed concrete girder bridge on sill-type abutments was conceptually laid out for the site. The bridge would be skewed 45 degrees and include a 12’ wide multi-use trail along the north side and an 8-foot-wide sidewalk along the south side. The span length was estimated by positioning retaining walls at 25 feet either side of the centerline of the tracks. Additional coordination with the UPRR would be needed to finalize the span length depending on their plans for potential future expansion of the tracks in this area and well as proposed use of these freight tracks for use to accommodate the new Amtrak passenger commuter rail traffic which is planned to pass from Chicago through Eau Claire and connect with Minneapolis-St.

Paul within the next 5 years.

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VI. Project Location The project location is located in the downtown area of the City of Eau Claire (Latitude and longitude coordinates are: 44.811348, -91.498497), Eau Claire County, WI and is located east of Banbury Place and the Boyd Park pedestrian bridge, where Galloway Street has an at-grade UP rail crossing for both vehicles and another for pedestrians/bicyclists. This vehicle crossing is located at UPRR milepost

0088.090 while the pedestrian crossing is at UPRR milepost 0088.104 and allow for train speeds from 12 to 25 MPH. Galloway Street is the primary connecting route between downtown Eau Claire and River Prairie development in the adjacent community of Altoona. The average daily traffic along Galloway Street is over 4,400 vehicles (2021) with 4% being truck traffic, and eventually connects with USH 53, a well-used regional highway moving vehicular and truck traffic into the north and northwestern rural reaches of Wisconsin. The vehicular rail crossing is most accurately described as occurring at Latitude

44.8151540 degrees and at -91.4832950 Longitudinal degrees while the nearby pedestrian rail crossing is located at Latitude 44.8151380 degrees and at -

91.4830220 Longitudinal degrees. The project is located

adjacent to a qualified census tract and located entirely within an Opportunity Zone which contains over 4,900 residents. Galloway Street separates the financially and socially disadvantaged North Side Hill neighborhood residents from easily and safely crossing the Galloway Street UP rail intersection to access the Chippewa Trail Regional pedestrian and bicycle trail to gain access across the Eau River bridge into Boyd Park and other adjoining neighborhoods and trail commerce. The City of

Eau Claire is located within the Wisconsin 3rd Congressional District. The City itself is located at 787 feet above mean sea level and encompasses 34.14 square miles and has a population of 68,720 in the 2020 census.

VII. Grade Crossing Information The Galloway – UPRR vehicle crossing in Eau Claire can be identified with FDOT Crossing Inventory Number 921335H while the pedestrian FDOT Crossing Inventory Number is 183949E (Attachment 7).

The Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP), Great Lakes Region – Altoona Subdivision, is the primary operator on this track. Both are identified as at-grade public railroad crossings. The estimated number of freight train movements between 6 am and 6 pm is four trains with another four trains passing through the crossing between 6 pm and 6 am each day. Currently the tracks are only using the line for freight and there are no passenger trains using the line at this time, although that is expected to change soon. The vehicle crossing is signalized with two advanced warning signs (W10-1). No EXEMPT (R15-3) or MUTCD signs are present at this crossing. There are two, quad, roadway-only gate arms with four LED Flashing Light Pairs. Neither nearby highway intersections have traffic signals or traffic pre-signals. There are two lanes of traffic, one each way, on Galloway Street which cross this rail intersection. There are no streetlights within 50- feet of this crossing which is frequented by pedestrians and bicyclists trying to get across the crossing to Boyd Park and the neighborhood to the south. This classified major urban collector roadway is listed for Federal AID but not NHS. The 2021 ADT is 4,400 vehicles per day and not extensively used by school buses. No accidents have been reported at this crossing in the past five years. The FDOT crossing accident report for all of Eau Claire County rail crossings can be found in Attachment 8 in this grant application. Both the vehicle and the pedestrian crossing are ranked as having the highest probability of having a collision with a train among all rail crossings in the entire county.

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VIII. Evaluation and Selection Criteria After a more than a 60-year gap, passenger train service to Eau Claire is part of a new 15-year plan unveiled by Amtrak, the federal passenger railroad service. The Amtrak Connects US plan is described as a vision to add and improve passenger rail routes with the goal of adding millions of passengers over the coming years. The proposed rail expansion is part of a $2.3 trillion federal infrastructure package (American Jobs Plan) which includes $80 billion “to address Amtrak’s repair backlog; modernize the high traffic Northeast Corridor; improve existing corridors and connect city parks; and enhance grant and loan programs that support passenger and freight rail safety, efficiency, and electrification”. The new, proposed Amtrak commuter passenger rail service will pass through the existing at-grade crossing at Galloway Street in Eau Claire and will require a nearby rail depot for staging, loading, and unloading passengers. This new passenger service will connect the City of Eau Claire to Minneapolis-St. Paul to the northwest to southbound trains to Madison, WI and Chicago, Il. Completion of the Galloway Street grade separation and overpass of the UP tracks will make this crossing safer for future Amtrak passenger trains and eliminate traffic bottlenecks. These two at-grade crossing eliminations and construction of a roadway overpass will separate pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, and trucks from intersecting with passing freight and later passenger trains along Galloway Street. During our preliminary design assessment, we considered other impacts with this vehicle crossing closure for our local fire, EMS, and police emergency vehicles. We felt that this crossing, which is frequently utilized by emergency vehicles, will benefit our first responders from our proposed grade separated bypass. Although we do not have specific metrics to establish the number of emergency vehicle crossings, we intuitively know that due to the proximity of the river, local hospital (Mayo Clinic) and our fire stations, that Galloway Street is often used by our emergency responders.

It is widely known that train travel is 83% more efficient than driving and 73% more efficient than flying and this new proposed Amtrak passenger route through Eau Claire will clearly provide an economic boost to our North Side Hill neighborhood which has battled inequality. With a growing and diverse population in Eau Claire, a global climate crisis, and longer traffic jams, when Amtrak brings commuter rail through Eau Claire, we expect to see community resilience and less dependence on motorized vehicles. By building the Galloway Street overpass and connecting pedestrian trails, we will see a rail network that will offer frequent, dependable, sustainable, and equitable train service through Eau Claire, and reducing carbon emissions from commuter vehicles moving north and south out of Eau Claire to the Twin Cities, Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Union Pacific has expressed a willingness to rent existing railroad tracks to Amtrak for the passenger rail to use.

On average, railroads are three to four times more fuel-efficient than trucks, with a single train removing hundreds of trucks from the nation's congested highways. Moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 75%, on average. For example, rail transport is one of the most energy efficient modes of transport. It is well documented that greenhouse gas emissions per passenger kilometer for rail transport is up to five times less than that of car transport. Removal of this at grade crossing will allow for increased freight speed through Eau Claire and help speed up our supply chain issue and help reduce truck freight numbers.

By building an overpass on Galloway Street and elimination of two, at-grade crossings of the UPRR freight line, and later shared use by Amtrak for the commuter passenger rail, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by less vehicle idling at frequent train crossings. Moreover, more freight on rail means less freight on high emission-emitting trucks on the roadways. We already know that greenhouse gas emissions are related to fuel consumption. Freight railroads account for just 0.5% of total U.S.

greenhouse gas emissions, according to EPA data, and just 1.9% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. By our continuing the uninterrupted flow of freight rail through Eau Claire, we will be supporting freight rail, which is ahead of other land modes of surface transportation when it comes to

8 | P a g e minimizing its carbon footprint. On average, U.S. freight railroads move one ton of freight 500 miles per gallon of fuel. It is our intention to encourage both freight and passenger rail transit through Eau Claire.

We know that railroads help reduce the huge economic costs of roadway congestion. According to the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2019 Urban Mobility Report, roadway congestion cost Americans $166 billion in wasted time (8.8 billion hours) and wasted fuel (3.3 billion gallons) in 2017. Lost productivity, cargo delays, and other costs add tens of billions of dollars to this tab. A single freight train can replace hundreds of trucks, freeing up space on roadways for other motorists. Shifting freight from trucks to rail also reduces wear and tear on our Eau Claire city urban roadways which is a cost savings to our residents and reduces the pressure to build costly new roads.

The project area experiences extensive pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the Old Abe linkage of the Chippewa River State Trail that runs along Galloway Street crosses the UPRR rail. In addition, Boyd Park connects to this trail via a pedestrian bridge spanning the Eau Claire River adjacent to the site. Safety is a paramount consideration when considering pedestrian and bicycle use near railroad tracks and this heavily traveled urban arterial roadway. An overpass would be a much safer transportation route for the plethora of bicyclists and pedestrians that navigate this dangerous crossing.

Adjacent to the Galloway Street – UPRR at grade crossing is the disjointed and disconnected Old Abe Trail which is connected to the Chippewa River State Regional Trail. The trail crisscrosses Galloway Street near the UPRR rail crossing making the crossing extremely dangerous and unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists alike. The Chippewa River State Trail rolls for 28 miles along a paved surface from Eau Claire to Cornell. A 3-mile gap (which will one day be closed) between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls splits the trail into 8.4-mile and 19.7-mile sections and is part of a 70-plus-mile-long trail system that also includes the Duncan Creek Parkway Trail and Red Cedar State Trail.

Over the past twelve years since the adoption of the City of Eau Claire Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in 2010, the City has continued to make progress in improving the pedestrian and bicycling environment in the City. This has occurred on many fronts such as with the designation of Eau Claire as a Bicycle Friendly Community in 2011 and has continued with numerous facility, educational, and institutional changes, and improvements. Because of these changes and improvements, our City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has recognized the need to provide an updated analysis of the existing pedestrian and bicycling environment within the City and then update recommendations. Our updated plan included a renewed emphasis in making Eau Claire more walkable and bicycle friendly. It also stressed importance of the City’s older neighborhoods and the need to provide public infrastructure and facilities to make our neighborhoods more livable, attractive, and desirable places to live. Our proposed Galloway Street at-grade rail crossing bypass and connecting linkage to the Chippewa River Bike/Ped trail will provide our residents with safe and efficient passage from one neighborhood to another all the while providing affordable and accessible modes of transportation as well as non-polluting transit options. Today, our bike and pedestrian residents navigate the UPRR-Chippewa River Regional Trail crossing over a busy arterial collector Galloway Street that is often congested and bottle-necked with traffic queued behind the UPRR rail crossing. When crossing this dangerous intersection, they have to cross an unsafe, unsignalized pedestrian/bicycle roadway/rail crossing which is also not ADA friendly.

It is widely reported, that walking and bicycling provide significant benefits for individuals and communities such as ours. Both transportation modes are the most affordable and accessible modes of transportation, while being non-polluting, they provide both recreational and transportation benefits, reduces traffic congestion, provides healthy choices for the individuals, and promote a positive character of the community. These benefits have been discussed in numerous reports which note that these

9 | P a g e benefits are far reaching for communities that embrace bicycling and walking as important modes of transportation, such as we do here in Eau Claire, WI

According to the EPA, petroleum fueled motor vehicles accounted for approximately 27% of the greenhouse gas emission emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and fluorinated gases) in the United States in 2015. Therefore, encouraging our neighborhood residents to bike and walk, thus reducing the amount of motorist travel, will have a positive effect on the environment in Eau Claire.

Moreover, making these forms of transportation more accessible and safer will encourage our disadvantaged residents living in North Side Hill Neighborhood to move more freely about in our community to recreate, shop, visit our parks and water resources, and mingle with other City residents.

Studies have shown the correlation between physical exercise, such as walking and biking, improved physical fitness, and reductions in obesity and other chronic health problems. Our proposed Galloway Street overpass project will provide efficient, affordable, and safe passage for our residents to walk or bike and increase the ability of our residents to participate in these activities. In 2013, the Health Chapter was adopted by the City of Eau Claire as an element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Health Chapter stresses the importance of the built environment as a crucial factor in contributing to a person’s physical health. In addition, there are five or six State and local organizations such as the Wisconsin Active Communities Alliance (http://www.activecommunitieswi.org/) and the Eau Claire Healthy Communities Organization (http://www.eauclaire.wi.networkofcare.org/ph/) that promote activities such as walking and bicycling through design of the built environment.

Bicycling and walking are affordable forms of transportation and recreation. For many households, a motor vehicle is typically the second greatest expense behind housing. In our North Side Hill neighborhood, which is a qualified census tract, there is inequity as not all of these households can afford a motor vehicle let alone multiple vehicles. As a direct consequence of this, for hundreds of our North Side Hill households, the option of bicycling or walking as a transportation alternative can improve the mobility of our residents and make it possible to reduce the number of vehicles that they own. Outdoor recreation activities, such as bicycling are an important tourism and marketing draw for Eau Claire, using our robust local and regional trail systems. People using these trails bring their tourism dollars to local businesses. In addition, events such as the Eau Claire marathon and other special running/walk events, utilize the Eau Claire’s multi-use pathways and street networks, thus bringing tourism dollars into the local economy. Our City promotes the use of trails and bikeways on our website https://www.visiteauclaire.com/listings/city‐of‐eau‐claire‐bike‐trails/750/.

The bicycling and pedestrian environment of a community plays a vital role in a community’s quality of life providing both tangible and intangible benefits. Increased walking and biking not only improves health and fitness, but also can result in reduced vehicle traffic, congestion, and noise and pollution within neighborhoods, around schools, and other social centers. Pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks and pathways also form a critical component of the neighborhood fabric and character in most neighborhoods in Eau Claire. These facilities provide additional social spaces for residents to gather and interact in addition to their primary function of connecting neighborhoods.

In accordance with 49 USC Ch. 229, Stat. 22902, our proposed project is not specifically identified within our State rail plan developed under chapter 227 of this title, or under the plan required by section 211 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. However, Wisconsin has been updating their State Rail Plan every 5-years, which identifies rail issues that reflect the views of Wisconsin citizens, businesses, and government officials. The plan includes several key parts, including a statewide vision for freight, intercity passenger and commuter rail, and an inventory of Wisconsin’s rail system, rail service and rail facilities. The System-plan Environmental Evaluation (SEE) identifies statewide system-level environmental impacts that may result from implementing the plan. Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030 serves as a guide for decision-makers through 2030. It is a requirement that it be updated every five years to keep it current. The plan which is currently in revision is heavily focused upon promoting the Amtrak Passenger Rail line across Wisconsin and through Eau Claire to link up connections between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Since our Galloway Street crossing is the proposed route for this Amtrak Passenger Train, we would expect that our proposed crossing elimination project will factor into the new State rail plan expected to be finalized before start of 2023.

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Amtrak has released plans within the Biden Administration’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan which was recently passed, and its plan includes several passenger connections throughout Wisconsin. Eau Claire and several other cities in Wisconsin would be new stops for the passenger rail service and the Galloway Street-UPRR overpass will enhance safety and mobility for the proposed passenger rail, existing and future freight rail; and safety for motorists, truck freight traffic, and pedestrian/bicyclists.

“Getting passenger rail service to the Chippewa Valley adds to our attractiveness as a community, it helps our economy, means it’s easier to come and go and some of the great growth we’ve already been seeing would continue even more,” said Scott Rogers, Chair of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition.

Rogers said intercity rail service will make Eau Claire a more appealing place to live. “It would make us an attractive place to live. One of the visions we have is that this a way to attract more high-quality talent to live in the Eau Claire area. We have been recognized as one of the best small communities in the country.” Coincidently, the new right-of-way that our overpass project will create will make it a logical location in which to construct an Amtrak passenger rail station in the future.

The Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030 indicates that both rail and trucking freight shipments in Wisconsin are expected to grow through the year 2030 and beyond. This plan notes that the weight of freight rail commodities traveling in Wisconsin is expected to grow by over 16% by 2030. The percentage growth in freight tonnage carried by rail in Wisconsin is expected to outpace the percentage growth of freight tonnage carried by trucks. Moreover, the value of freight traveling in Wisconsin is expected to grow by 18% by 2030. As of 2014, the Union Pacific Railroad did not run oil trains through Eau Claire and was not expected to do so, but that could change, according to a WisDOT official who monitors train traffic.

Train traffic in Eau Claire is forecast by a Union Pacific representative to grow another 25 to 50 percent in the next five years. The switching and assembly yard at nearby City of Altoona is planned for expansion, which would increase the number and length of trains through Eau Claire, creating longer and more frequent traffic and pedestrian ques at Galloway Street Crossing, unless an overpass is constructed.

WisDOT recommends implementing the Wisconsin component of the Midwest Regional Rail System (MWRRS). This would result in expanded intercity passenger rail service in Wisconsin, including more frequent service between Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis/St. Paul, and new passenger connections in Eau Claire. The majority of the track on which the state’s proposed intercity passenger rail routes will operate is owned or operated by freight railroads. The new intercity passenger services will use a significant amount of usable capacity on these freight rail lines.

With over 6,500 at-grade rail crossings in Wisconsin, rail crossing safety remains a challenge and priority.

Actions that can be taken to improve rail crossing safety include minimizing the installation of new crossings of rail lines, increased education about the dangers of rail crossings, constructing grade separated crossings or closing existing crossings. As noted earlier, grade-separated crossings are safer than at-grade crossings because they physically separate vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists from trains. Wisconsin has 736 grade separated rail crossings representing only a fraction as compared to the total number of at-grade crossings. By converting our Galloway Street-UPRR at-grade crossing into an overpass grade separated crossing, the City will eliminate the need for signs, barriers or other safety devices and technologies to warn roadway and ped/bike trail users of oncoming trains and reduce traffic congestion caused by vehicles waiting at a crossing for a train to pass. This will also result in improved air quality through less idling emissions and reduce energy consumption.

However, grade-separated crossings are expensive to build and maintain. Construction may be hindered by physical limitations such as existing land uses and topography. The most effective way to improve crossing safety is to close crossings. While closing a crossing can positively impact crossing safety, it can result in hardships to those directly affected by the crossing. For example, eliminating a crossing may result in greater travel times for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. It can also result in increased emergency response time for emergency vehicles. Closed crossings may also function as barriers, preventing easy or convenient movement within a community and between neighborhoods. Our Galloway Street-UPRR rail overpass project proposes to improve car and truck mobility through our downtown, improve the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists at the intersection by creating a grade-separated crossing instead of simply eliminating a rail crossing. Moreover, with the proposed Amtrak passenger rail moving through this intersection likely to begin in the next 5-10 years, removal of conflicts between the rail system and current vehicular and pedestrian traffic in this location is a great safety

11 | P a g e precaution by increasing capacity and uninterrupted flow of freight and traffic, reducing potential vehicle-pedestrian-train conflicts and delay.

Through construction of a Galloway St./UPRR overpass, we will increase capacity of both rail and truck/car transport by allowing uninterrupted flow in all directions and create a safer intersection. The premise is our roadway and rail line intersection approaches would not come into direct contact but rather bypass each other. By creating the overpass, rail signals are no longer required to direct traffic, eliminating the queues caused by signals. Our proposed grade separation on Galloway will also increase roadway safety by reducing the vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. Crossing traffic is removed from the intersection, thus eliminating the possibility of collisions between those streams of vehicles. Pedestrians are given greater protection from cars, as there will be no longer any trail crossings of the train tracks or across Galloway Street as the overpass will provide for ped/bike trail connections not in conflict with vehicular traffic. Removing at-grade intersections with railroads also substantially increases speed for both trains and cars, thusly improving our supply-chain mobility. Street and pedestrian traffic will move freely over railroad tracks, reducing wait times for a passing train and increasing travel speed and capacity of the roadway. Most importantly, the incidence rate of train-vehicle and pedestrian-vehicle-train collisions is eliminated as the intersection no longer puts traffic and pedestrians in front of trains.

While proximity of the UPRR railroad is an economic benefit to our region, it also creates major safety issues. The intersection crossing along the Galloway Street corridor, provide at least two conflict points.

Slow moving freight trains often cause major traffic delays, hinder regional mobility for trucks, commuters, bikes/pedestrians, and impede access to various amenities such as schools, parks, trails, businesses, and civic resources. Moreover, public safety response is impacted as local fire and police departments are often unable to rapidly respond to incidents on the North side of Galloway Street. The proposed project will enable future construction of a grade-separated overpass that can address increased capacity needed for planned growth along the Galloway corridor, eliminate train/vehicle/pedestrian conflicts, and construct operational improvements in the interim that will enhance the intersection's operation in light of the planned Amtrak passenger rail slated to pass northward through Eau Claire enroute to Minneapolis/St. Paul and southward to Chicago.

The majority of residences in the North Side Hill neighborhood are historic, built no later than 1939, and in some cases, quite a bit earlier. The neighbors in North Side Hill are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research indicates this neighborhood has an income lower than 82.3% of U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, 5.3% of the children 17 and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 65.2% of America's neighborhoods (https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/wi/eau-claire/north-side-hill). These residents like the idea of getting a little exercise of the two-wheeled type while reducing their carbon footprint, through bicycling to work. NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that the North Side Hill neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 3.8% of commuters here ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than found in 96.2% of the neighborhoods in America. Providing reasonable travel options such as reliable travel times, more efficient truck and train freight transportation, and safer pedestrian access individuals who do not own vehicles is a critical factor to ensure our North Side Hill neighborhood vulnerable populations have better access to jobs and a higher quality of life.

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Our proposed…