We, the people, came out to have our say at the public information session held about the Traffic Separation Study in the Henderson City Council chambers on Tuesday afternoon.
It was encouraging to see the citizens exchange ideas and concerns with the “suits” that are proposing closing railroad crossings throughout Henderson.
A lot of us, including myself, thought that this was being done in conjunction with the High Speed Rail, but Mark Freeman, PE, told me that they would make their proposals and the High Speed Rail Commission could change or ignore them. I saw this as a preemptive strike to get the first dirty work of closing crossings out of the way, and thus pave a smoother road for the High Speed Rail effort to stream through.
And if they were looking for public outreach, they got it.
The proposal to close the crossing at St. Matthews Street met with fierce opposition from a group of ladies, my age and older, who were all feisty with their opinions. The DOT has already closed the south end of St. Matthews Street, so everyone now has to go all the way down to Nicholas Street to get out of their neighborhood.
It is understandable that the residents that are left on St. Matthews see themselves being trapped in again by closing the crossing at the north end of the street. But, more than the closing of the road, they were concerned about the neglect of the blight on their street.
For years I have brought to light the deplorable conditions on St. Matthews Street. The burned out houses far outnumber the habitable houses. I even wondered if the street was closed so that the eyesores would be more difficult to see. Let’s hope that their voices will be heard and codes will be enforced to make their lives more peaceful. Councilwoman-Elect Coffey was there and was listening intently to their concerns.
At the other end of town, the residents in North Henderson vehemently opposed closing Harris Street. Why? Because they will all have to come down to a very blighted and dangerous area around Lamb and Main Streets to cross the railroad. They just don’t feel safe doing that, and neither would you. If, on the other hand, everyone had to see the decay on these streets, then something might be done about it.
Then, in the middle of all this, I was quizzing the powers-that-be about the improvement to Chavasse Avenue that runs from Raleigh Road to William Street. The DOT officials have the plans drawn, the city bought the right-of-way, the power company has moved the lines, and Rep. Jimmy Crawford secured the money, and yet the work has not progressed. Widening this street and putting in a sidewalk for pedestrians is not a priority of DOT. As mothers walk in the ditches pushing strollers and carrying groceries, transfer trucks, buses, and over 8,000 cars at last count use this crossing every day.
The city has dropped the ball on this project by not buying enough right-of-way, and then by failing to put its political muscle behind the project. With all the money the city has already invested, you would think they would be pushing for this much-needed “missing link.” You will have to excuse me if I see a total lack of credibility in what the folks at City Hall and DOT say about this project. If the right person had been pushing this project, it would have been done long ago.
So, what is going to come from this meeting? We come to the Implementation Process for the Traffic Separation Study for Henderson. According to their literature, “This phase will initiate after the Study Phase is complete. NCDOT officials will identify (sic) funding for the stated enhancements, prepare public agreements with the City of Greenville, project design and property attainment, coordinate crossing closures with appropriate officials, and oversee project implementation.”
I know that the phrase “prepare public agreements with the City of Greenville” must be a typo, but it is funny that they are going to coordinate all of this in Henderson with Greenville. Maybe we can get the good folks in Greenville to speak up for us. Let’s hope our Department of Transportation pays a little more attention to what the people in Henderson want and need.
We will stay tuned.