OAKLAND, Calif. — Union Pacific has joined with the maritime industry in expressing concerns over the proposed location of a new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The ballpark would be built at the current site of the Charles P. Howard Terminal, a container facility on Oakland’s Inner Harbor. One side of the site near Jack London Square would be bounded by Union Pacific tracks used by Amtrak trains as well as UP freight traffic, and UP says the location raises “significant issues” related to railroad safety. It wants the rail line fenced off and overhead walkways built to keep spectators from crossing the tracks.
Maritime officials, meanwhile, question the safety of the adjacent to the Inner Harbor’s turning basin, where bar pilots turn an average of 25 ships a week after loading and unloading cargo at nearby terminals. The pilots are concerned the stadium lights might interfere with their night vision, and about small-craft traffic generated by baseball fans, as has been the case at the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark on San Francisco Bay’s McCovey Cove. That area sees little maritime traffic, unlike the Oakland site.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to require that the developers erect fences around the railroad. It’s a relatively small cost for insuring safety. After all, the railroad was there first and wouldn’t needed the fences except for the new development. Yes, they do some street running in Oakland. It may be an issue that needs to be addressed at some point, but what has that to do with this current issue? I’m always amazed at developers putting their developments adjacent to the end of airport runways that have been there for years and then complaining about the noise. That’s not exactly the same thing, but it is illustrative of the way things happen these days.
So true – Ships arrive during the day and the turning basin is actually a couple of miles east of Howard Terminal. The plan has always included pedestrian bridges over the rails. A big todo over nothing. When the Raiders first started in Oakland they played in Frank Ewell Field where all the fans crossed the Espee from the parking lot to the stadium. Warriors to San Fran, Raiders to Las Vegas and if this kind of nonsense keeps up the A’s will be gone too.
Excuses, excuses…most ships don’t arrive in Oakland at night, the lights probably won’t be on when they do use the turning basin, sounds like a bunch of B.S. to me…as for the U.P., those tracks are down the center of a street as it is, not like there aren’t already pedestrians all over the place in Jack London Square.
Actually Seattle does well with two stadiums near the busy Seattle Sub T-Mobile Park for baseball and CenturyLink Field for football. Actually is a benefit as Sound Transit runs some special commuters for some of the games, and Sound Transit Link, the light rail International District Station is about a block or two away. Some relief for Seattle’s horrible traffic.
The maritime concern seems more legit. Or at least harder to solve. Seattle does fine with a busy railroad next to their stadium.
If U.P. Is so concerned maybe they should pay for the fencing.