Carrollton makes changes relative to downtown light rail station

by Minnie Payne

CARROLLTON — According to Cesar Molina, Jr., Director of Engineering for the City of Carrollton, additional work, through the architectural/engineering firm of Jacobs Carter Burgess, will have to be done.

In October 2005, Carrollton entered into a contract with then Carter and Burgess, Inc. to initiate the master planning process of the downtown Carrollton light rail station. Carter and Burgess put together a team of professionals to address each of the major tasks of the project.

“As the study of the downtown Carrollton station has evolved, when Jacobs Carter Burgess went to the drawing board and put together the railroad loading platforms for the future service rail lines of Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Cotton Belt Rail Lines, it was determined that the Mercer Rail Yard, a maintenance and switching track, will be in the way of those platforms,” said Molina.

Molina explains that the platforms are too big and are encroached on the Mercer Yard, which means that Mercer Yard will have to be moved. A tract of land beside the Columbian Country Club on Country Club Drive in Carrollton has been chosen for the new maintenance/switching yard.

“This change will increase the amount of fees paid to Jacobs Carter Burgess by $99,930 to a total amount of $662,822.” Molina said. “These funds are eligible for reimbursement by a Federal Transit Authority grant.”