CHANNAHON, Ill. — Canadian National has scheduled an open house for Jan. 14 at Minooka High School South Campus in Channahon to discuss its proposed Chicago Logistics Hub intermodal facility, an approximately 900-acre facility in Channahon and unincorporated land adjacent to Minooka.
CN describes the event, from 4-7 p.m. as an open forum, with no formal presentation or action to be taken. Those interested can come and go at any time to examine exhibits and speak with CN representatives. The event will be in the main gym at the school, located at 26655 W. Eames St.
The Village of Minooka has said it is concerned about the truck traffic the facility, about 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, would bring to the community. It filed suit in June to enforce vehicle weight limits on McLindon Road, which would offer one of two access points to the facility under CN’s plan.
A CN website says the site — bordered by CN and CSX rail lines, and near Interstate 80 — will eventually include 11 new industrial buildings as part of the logistics park adjacent to the intermodal terminal. It says it is expected to remove 400,000 long-haul trucks from roadways annually, and that it has been designed to minimize impact on local roads following a traffic study with input from the two communities and the Illinois Department of Transportation. The railroad also projects the project will create approximately 600 construction jobs, 6,500 permanent jobs, and generate approximately $20.9 million in new tax revenue.
All of the roads surrounding this are already choked with other distribution centers.
For those asking how CN is involved here, this is the tail end of an EJ&E branch line that used to bring coal up/down from the strip mines in and round Coal City, Braidwood and down by the Mazon River in the 1920’s.
It goes as far as the Goose Lake State Park south of Collins Road today where the original line ends and 2 industrial spurs fan out. One goes west across Heidicke Lake to the now abandoned ComEd Collins Power Plant, the other spur goes east to the Dresden Nuclear Power Plant and a nuclear disposal facility. Neither spur has been used commercially in over 25 years but are listed as active, not exempt.
CN has an active lift bridge over the Illinois River as part of this line.
It wll remove ZERO trucks from the roads. Intermodal relocates truck traffic, not eliminate it, and concentrates truck traffic at hubs.