A $14.9 million project that could one day prevent stopped trains from clogging traffic in downtown Kyle is now on the city’s Transportation Master Plan.
The move, done by a 7-0 Kyle City Council vote Dec. 5, could help Kyle have “more impact” in its request to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to place the project on the list for federal funding, said Leon Barba, Kyle city engineer.
Barba said the proposed project would move the existing rail siding, located near Center Street, to an area on the tracks between Burleson Street and Kohler’s Crossing. Barba said stopped trains would not block either road.
A railroad siding, or switch station, is used to divert slower trains off of the main track.
Barba said Union Pacific, the company that owns the railroad, is designing the switch station in-house. UP will wrap up the 30 percent design phase of the project by the end of the year.
However, the city is also facing an unexpected challenge of installing 11,000-feet of rail line for the siding, which is the new standard, Barba said. The current rail siding on Center Street, which was built years ago, is roughly 8,000-feet in length.
The city also is pushing for the line to be placed as far south on Kohler’s Crossing as possible, so as to avoid interfering with a future Buda water transmission line.
Kyle now has to wait for a decision from CAMPO on whether the project could be included for federal funding; Barba said federal funding is the city’s “best shot” to pay for the project, due to the price tag.
The city could know as early as May whether the rail siding project scored high enough for federal funds.
“I’m not sure if there are other areas of funding we can look at,” Barba said.
