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Honorable Mayor and members of the Menlo Park City Council:
Jack Ringham has sent you a copy of the San Mateo County Grade Separation Footprint Study which was presented publicly at a SMC Transportation Authority meeting on March 6, 2008.
On page 8 of that document you will find six variations or options for separating cross traffic from the tracks. One of those is "Fully Depressed Tracks (Trench)." This is the option to which the recent joint Atherton/Menlo Park study session devoted its time, energy and attention.
Respectfully, I urge you to press your case, collectively, upon the Transportation Authority to take full measure of this option inasmuch as it reflects the cooperative agreement of Atherton and Menlo Park to achieve a mutually acceptable rail corridor development.
The respective Councils of Atherton and Menlo Park, and all the residents of both cities want to know the costs of this option. We also want to know what the configuration that accommodates the high speed train looks like not only in cross-section, but along the entire length of the rail corridor as it passes through both cities.
Furthermore, we want to know what the environmental impact will be along both sides of the expanded rail corridor, what the economic and social impacts will be on businesses and private properties, what the intended budget would have to be to include eminent domain adverse takings, what construction easements are intended, and other information pertaining to the impact upon the surrounding areas and upon the economic and social life of both cities.
Given the size of the budget for this study, information required by the cities should play at least as large a role as do the needs of Caltrain and the high speed rail authority.
Decisive, pro-active intervention is called for. A unanimous Council's expression of interest is both appropriate and necessary. Follow-up meetings with Atherton Council would be a positive and productive next step.
Respectfully,
Martin
--Received on Wed Mar 12 10:33:07 2008
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Martin Engel 1621 Stone Pine Lane Menlo Park, CA 94025 650:323-1670 martinengel@earthlink.net
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