The City of Plymouth and TGB Unlimited have run into a train, literally, in an ongoing water main project in the city.
Ty Bancroft of TGB came before the Plymouth Board of Works and Safety to discuss a problem his company is having in completing that project. Part of the main will require boring under railroad property and having to meet the requirements of the railroad to do so has been ongoing.
Bancroft said that when the company began to seek permits and requirements to bore under the tracks owned by CSX they found a second railroad company involved — the Genesee and Wyoming — which forced TGB to stop boring and seek approval.
The railroad company made a series of revisions to the drawings for the project, as well as restrictions such as flaggers and inspectors on site for the duration of the project that Bancroft estimated would add around $60,000 to the cost.
Bancroft said his company had dealings with the railroads in the past on similar projects and the advice he was given by consultants was that the railroad in essence didn’t want the work crews on their property.
He told the board that the railroad also had no interest in doing business with a private contractor, saying a private entity could go out of business and that the city “wasn’t going anywhere” adding that that desire was understandable from the railroad point of view. He also said that the city was looking at a 30-60 day delay in any response from the railroad, and the use of grant funds by the City of Plymouth had a deadline of July.
Bancroft suggested a solution that had been used in other such situations of moving the bore pits off of railroad property which would allow them to do so without the additional inspectors and flaggers on site for the duration.
The added cost of the change would be $5,300 which TGB was willing to cover.
The board tabled the decision on the suggested solution for the purpose of consulting with Plymouth Utilities Superintendent Donnie Davidson and City Attorney Jeff Houin.
