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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The towns of Centralia and Mt. Vernon are home to
3more than 30,000 Illinois citizens who have been plagued with
4an ever-increasing number of traffic delays caused by railroad
5trains that block traffic crossings; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Both towns have numerous street-level grade
7crossings that are regularly blocked by trains; there are also
82 State of Illinois highway crossings in Centralia and 6
9highway crossings in Mt. Vernon, which have created large-scale
10delays for a higher number of commuters; and
 
11    WHEREAS, These delays could have profound public health and
12safety aspects, should a person requiring urgent health care be
13confined to an emergency response vehicle that is tied up at a
14street-level railroad grade crossing; and
 
15    WHEREAS, A sharp, curving section of railroad right-of-way
16leading into Centralia from the south causes some of the most
17extreme delays, where the maximum speed allowed on the rails is
18only 10 miles per hour; the grade crossings for these tracks
19are frequented by both motor vehicle commuters and
20approximately 40 freight trains a day; with some railroad
21trains being almost one mile long, motorists must wait for many
22minutes to cross the tracks; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The residents of the affected towns have spoken
2out against these aforementioned delays for over a decade in
3city council meetings and town forums alike and have called for
4rerouting of rail lines to reduce these delays and health
5hazards in their daily lives; the municipalities of Centralia
6and Wamac have both passed resolutions to support this route
7change; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Two potential routes have been identified for the
9potential route relocation; both routes involve an investment
10in new track and are promising to unclog the bottleneck areas
11located in the towns of Centralia and Mt. Vernon; therefore, be
12it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
15SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize and offer our
16support for the citizens of Clinton County, Jefferson County,
17Marion County, and Washington County, in and around the
18municipalities of Centralia and Mount Vernon, in their ongoing
19effort to develop a plan to reroute train traffic and prevent
20delays due to train crossings in and around the towns of
21Centralia and Mt. Vernon; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of

 

 

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1Transportation, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and the
2affected railroads to work with the citizens of these
3communities to find a timely solution to this issue; and be it
4further
 
5    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6presented to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the
7Illinois Commerce Commission, U.S. Congressman John Shimkus,
8U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, State Representative John Cavaletto,
9State Senator John O. Jones, Mayor Becky Ault of Centralia, and
10Mayor Mary Jane Chesley of Mt. Vernon.