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CSX held train traffic out of area during Elza Gate fire

Posted at 10:26 pm March 25, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking north toward Elza Drive. The line at right crosses over Elza Drive. The line at left is now partially dismantled, and it ran through east Oak Ridge, past Jefferson Middle School, and to Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

CSX said it held train traffic out of the area during a brush and grass fire near the railroad tracks in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking north toward Elza Drive. The line at right crosses over Elza Drive. The line at left is now partially dismantled, and it ran through east Oak Ridge, past Jefferson Middle School, and to Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

CSX said it held train traffic out of the area during a brush and grass fire near the railroad tracks in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The large fire was reported at about 3:30 p.m. Friday along the railroad tracks south of Elza Drive, just east of Elza Gate Park. The fire burned grass on the side of a steep embankment supporting the railroad tracks that cross over Elza Drive. It also appeared to spread to nearby brush and grass near an unused rail line that splits off near the Clinch River to enter east Oak Ridge at Melton Lake Drive. The fire sent up a large plume of black and gray smoke that was visible for miles.

“Flames were moving quickly, fueled by strong winds and excess brush in the area,” the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

CSX and the City of Oak Ridge said the cause of Friday’s fire remains under investigation. The Oak Ridge Fire Department said it believes the fire was unintentional. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Front Page News, Marlow, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: brush fire, City of Oak Ridge, CSX, Elza Drive, Elza Gate Park, fire, grass fire, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, Mike Marsh, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oliver Springs Fire Department, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

Firefighters use back burns to help contain Elza Gate fire

Posted at 4:31 pm March 25, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking south toward Melton Hill Lake/Clinch River from near Elza Drive. There is a Y intersection in the train tracks in the area of the black smoke. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking south toward Melton Hill Lake/Clinch River from near Elza Drive. There is a Y intersection in the train tracks in the area of the black smoke. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The large grass fire was reported on the steep embankment along the railroad tracks east of Elza Gate Park at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. The fire sent up a large plume of black and gray smoke that was visible for miles.

“Flames were moving quickly, fueled by strong winds and excess brush in the area,” the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

Crews started attacking the fire from several locations, the ORFD said. When flames spread to the railroad bridge over Elza Drive, firefighters were able to save it by walking out onto the bridge and extinguishing the flames. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, back burns, CSX, Elza Gate, Elza Gate fire, fire, grass fire, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Fire Department, ORFD, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

Work starts on next phase of Rails to Trails

Posted at 12:16 pm February 20, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Work has started on the next phase of Rails to Trails, a project to convert a former CSX railroad into a bicycle and pedestrian pathway in the center of Oak Ridge.

After about six months of discussions, the City of Oak Ridge has a right of entry, which allows geotechnical and surveying work to be done on the former railroad, said Jon Hetrick, director of the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. Geotechnical work allows holes to be bored in the ground for subsurface studies.

The survey and geotechnical work is being done by A. Morton Thomas and Associates of Kingsport. The Oak Ridge City Council awarded a $358,317 contract to that company in May. A. Morton Thomas is to provide environmental testing, master planning, design and engineering of the trail, and help with construction bidding.

After a Tuesday evening City Council work session, Hetrick said the geotechnical and survey work is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The city hopes to have the NEPA phase approved through the Tennessee Department of Transportation by August, Hetrick said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Slider, Sports, State Tagged With: A. Morton Thomas and Associates, bicycle and pedestrian pathway, City of Oak Ridge, CSX, CSX Railroad, geotechnical and surveying work, Jon Hetrick, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA, Oak Ridge City Council, pedestrian and bicycle trail, Rails-to-Trails, Recreation and Parks Department, TDOT, TDOT grant, TDOT Transportation Alternatives Program, Tennessee Department of Transportation, TPO, trail

Council approves contract with TDOT for Rails to Trails project

Posted at 8:33 pm July 12, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday unanimously approved a $1.5 million contract with the Tennessee Department of Transportation that is expected to allow a former railroad to be converted into a greenway.

The so-called Rails to Trails project will convert about 4.85 miles of unused CSX railroad into a pedestrian and bicycle trail.

The former railroad starts at Elza Gate Park at Melton Lake Drive in east Oak Ridge, runs past the Emory Heights neighborhood and Jefferson Middle School, crosses Emory Valley Road near Hank’s Market, and then continues through the Hendrix Creek neighborhood along Lafayette Drive before ending near South Illinois Avenue, Scarboro Road, and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) approved $1.224 million for the project in October 2016 through the Transportation Alternative Program, or TAP. There is a local 20 percent match of $306,000, which would be provided by the City of Oak Ridge. The combined funding from the TAP award and the local match is $1.53 million.

The overall cost of the Rails to Trails project isn’t clear. The property has not been purchased, and the TAP grant, federal money disbursed here through the Federal Highway Act, does not include purchase, Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin told City Council members on Monday.

“This is not the total amount,” Baldwin said. “This does not include purchase.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, CSX, CSX Railroad, CSX railway, Kathryn Baldwin, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Rails to Trails, Rails-to-Trails, TAP, TDOT, Tennessee Department of Transportation, TPO, Transportation Alternative Program

Repair work done, Johnson Gap Road bridge open again

Posted at 7:28 pm March 17, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Johnson Gap Road Bridge

The repair work is down, and the Johnson Gap Road bridge re-opened last week. (Photo by Robert McKamey)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The bridge on Johnson Gap Road in Anderson County’s Dutch Valley community re-opened last week, a year and a half after it was shut down due to safety concerns.

State inspectors ordered the 100-year-old wooden bridge closed in July 2013 after finding that the wooden support structures were compromised and posed a safety hazard.

The bridge is owned by CSX Railroad, and it is the primary shortcut that Dutch Valley residents use to get to and from Clinton and Oak Ridge, and the shutdown frustrated many.

Work to repair the bridge finally got under way last month.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, bridge, Clinton, CSX, CSX Railroad, Dutch Valley, Johnson Gap Road, Oak Ridge, safety, wooden bridge

Johnson Gap Road bridge being repaired

Posted at 9:52 pm February 2, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Johnson Gap Road Bridge

The Johnson Gap Road Bridge is pictured above closed on January 1, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari) 

 

Information from WYSH Radio

Note: This story was updated at 12:45 p.m. Feb. 3.

Work on the long-awaited project to repair the CSX Railroad-owned bridge on Johnson Gap Road in the Dutch Valley community has finally begun.

Anderson County Commission Chairman Robert McKamey told WYSH Radio in Clinton that the railroad has assured him the work should be done within the next three to four weeks.

Crews on Monday began the long-awaited repair of the bridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, bridge, CSX, CSX Railroad, Dutch Valley, Johnson Gap, Johnson Gap Road, repairs, Robert McKamey

Railroad tracks removed from South Illinois, Emory Valley

Posted at 5:49 pm June 30, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

South Illinois Avenue Railroad Track Removal

A work crew from Rogers Group removes unused railroad tracks from South Illinois Avenue just south of Lafayette Drive and Scarboro Road on Saturday night. After the tracks were removed, the railroad crossing was repaved, and the road reopened on Sunday.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 p.m.

Unused railroad tracks that crossed Briarcliff Avenue, Emory Valley Road, and South Illinois Avenue were removed on Thursday and Saturday night.

Railroad company CSX split the traffic control costs with the city and paid to remove the tracks, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Gary Cinder said. In exchange, the city agreed to repave the roadways as part of street maintenance. The crossing lights were removed as well so that commercial vehicles, including school buses, no longer have to stop at the abandoned crossings and, in the case of school buses and other vehicles that carry children, open and close their doors before proceeding.

The project has been in the works for two years.

“We’re thrilled to finally get to this stage,” Cinder said last week. “It’s been a long time coming.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: abandoned crossings, bicyclists, bike and pedestrian plan, Briarcliff Avenue, crossing lights, CSX, DOE, Emory Valley Road, Gary Cinder, highway transportation board, Kathryn Baldwin, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Melton Lake Drive, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, Oak Ridge Community Development, Oak Ridge Public Works Department, pedestrians, railroad crossings, railroad tracks, Rails-to-Trails, Rogers Group, Rogers Group Inc., runners, South Illinois Avenue, street maintenance, U.S. Department of Energy, walking trail, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex historian Ray Smith

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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