By Scott Shumaker | East Valley Tribune
A U.S. Surface Transportation Board draft environmental assessment has given a thumbs-up for the proposed Pecos Industrial Rail Access and Train Extension (PIRATE), a 6-mile east-west freight line between CMC Steel in far east Mesa and the Union Pacific Phoenix Subdivision line at Rittenhouse and Sossaman roads.
The report concludes that considering the project’s benefits and recommended mitigation measures, the rail spur’s impact would be “negligible, minor and/or temporary.”
The agency is recommending the project move forward without a more extensive assessment required for projects judged to have a significant environmental impact.
Though the board found no significant environmental impact, it outlines a slew of negative effects – the most prominent being traffic slowdowns on the roads between Mesa and Queen Creek.
Members of the public and local stakeholders have until June 30 to comment on the findings in the draft study before it completes a final environmental assessment. After that, the plan will be reviewed by the Surface Transportation Board for final approval or denial.
The document is a big step toward creation of the line, which backers say would eliminate 30,000 diesel truck trips from Mesa’s burgeoning manufacturing hubs to and from Union Pacific’s freight hub 80 miles away.
The environmental assessment said the line could go into operation in 2024.
