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Hearing is scheduled on proposed Middlebury Rail Spur
May 12, 2007
By Lisa D. Connell Herald Staff
MIDDLEBURY –– State and federal officials announced Friday they will hold a hearing next month on a proposed railway spur in Middlebury that would allow OMYA, a company that extracts soft marble from its quarry in Middlebury, to move quarried stone to its plant in Florence via rail cars, instead of tractor-trailer trucks.
If approved, the Middlebury Rail Spur would reduce the volume of truck traffic on Route 7 south of Middlebury — something Brandon residents have been seeking for years.
The idea of a rail spur in Middlebury has been discussed for more than two decades. Friday the state released a document that outlines where the proposed rail line would run, and its proximity to municipal buildings and nearby roadways.
A hearing to discuss the proposed project is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, June 7, in the Middlebury Municipal Building Gymnasium at 94 Main St.
The rail spur would provide an alternative way for businesses that use trucks to transport their products. And it would produce savings for OMYA, which would save time and money by moving its quarried materials by rail instead of truck.
OMYA extracts soft marble from the Middlebury quarry and transports it to a plant in Florence, where it is made into calcium carbonate. Many industries, including the paper, food and pharmaceuticals, use calcium carbonate in their products.
For residents who live along Route 7, the noise and congestion caused by heavy truck traffic would be significantly reduced by a rail spur.
Rail transport would be better for the environment as well, town and state officials familiar with the project said.
Brandon, which has experienced a commercial rebirth of its town center, went to court seeking relief from the heavy flow of Route 7 truck traffic that passes through its downtown. OMYA isn't the only company sending trucks through the town, but its trucks make scores of trips between Middlebury and Florence.
A court limited OMYA to 115 truck trips a day through Brandon. Originally, John Zicconi, spokesman for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said OMYA had sought approval for 170 truck trips.
The proposed rail spur "definitely would benefit the aesthetics and the pleasantness of the historic village of Brandon and all the communities in between," Zicconi said.
Other businesses along the Route 7 corridor also have expressed an interest in using rail rather than the roads to ship goods.
The spur would bring more traffic to the state's under-utilized rail line that parallels Route 7 through the Middlebury area, state Transportation Secretary Neale Lunderville said in a prepared statement.
The rail spur would tunnel under Route 7 and connect to OMYA's Middlebury quarry, which is on the east side of Route 7 south of the village. OMYA trucks access the quarry now through a road that crosses Lower Foote Street to reach Route 7.
Drawings the state released Friday show that once it crossed Route 7, the proposed rail spur would run behind Middle, South and Halladay roads.
The Vermont Railway Mainline runs adjacent to Otter Creek and Creek Road.
The project's environmental impact statement can be viewed at several locations, including Middlebury Town Offices and the Isley Public Library at 75 Main St. in Middlebury.
Copies also have been sent to the town offices of communities along and near Route 7: Salisbury, Leicester, Brandon, Pittsford, Whiting and Cornwall.
The environmental impact statement also can be viewed at Rutland City Hall. And it is available online and as a CD. The Web site is www.aot.state.vt.us.
To obtain a CD, contact Susan Scribner at sue.scribner@state.vt.us or by calling 802-828-3615.
Comments about the rail spur project and the environmental impact statement will be accepted by state officials until June 29.
Contact Lisa Connell at lisa.connell@rutlandherald.com.