Amtrak's Bridgeport railyard to get environmental review after community pressure

Amtrak’s new maintenance facility in Bridgeport will undergo a federal environmental review after community pushback over the project initially being allowed to move forward without one, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

The agency’s dashboard for the project lists Oct. 8 as the start date of the environmental review, which it also said is expected to be complete by year’s end.

The review will trigger a 30-day public comment period, and the federal agency said it will hold at least two public meetings on the project, though details on those have yet to be released.

Amtrak initially had received more than $600 million and a “categorical exclusion” from the federal government for the project, which allowed it to move forward without a full environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement “unless there are extraordinary circumstances.”

But the federal agency changed its tune after Amtrak said it planned to use some of the funds for the $915 million project to repair 17 viaducts “supporting the Canal Street Yard.”

“After reviewing this modified project scope, FRA has decided to prepare an environmental assessment, through a process that will include public comment, for the Proposed Action,” the agency said on its website for the project.

It comes after months of public outcry from local residents who worry the new facility could pose health hazards and generate smells and sounds that could tank property values. An initial review from the FRA determined the project would have a minimal noise, air quality and groundwater impact on the surrounding community.

Also behind neighbors’ ire: The move comes hand-in-hand with potential future White Sox owner Justin Ishbia’s companies helping to finance Amtrak’s move while purchasing the existing rail facility, which it wants to develop as a site for a proposed new stadium for the South Side team.