City of Morgan Hill officials will produce a complete analysis
of the visual impact of an elevated bullet train track through
downtown.
City of Morgan Hill officials will produce a complete analysis of the visual impact of an elevated bullet train track through downtown.
The city council voted unanimously Wednesday to direct city staff to prepare the visual analysis.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is currently in the process of analyzing its preferred route to send the bullet train through Morgan Hill’s downtown – a route that councilmembers oppose.
The state agency wants the train to run east of the Union-Pacific tracks through Morgan Hill. Because the railroad does not want to let the 215-mph passenger train use its right-of-way, the route will require the acquisition of the HSRA’s own right-of-way between the existing tracks and Monterey Road, all the way through Morgan Hill and Gilroy, according to planning manager Jim Rowe.
The initial analysis shows that route would require that Monterey Road be narrowed from six to four lanes north of town. Other sections of the road north of town would be shifted to the east about 50 feet, Rowe said.
While the tracks would be at-grade on the north and south sides of Morgan Hill, from Tilton Avenue to Tennant Avenue the train would travel on an elevated track, according to current HSRA plans, Rowe said. The track would require a minimum of 17 feet of clearance where it crosses over Dunne, San Pedro and Tennant avenues.
The HSRA’s current draft environmental study, revised after a court judgment that found the first draft inadequate, shows a “moderate visual impact” on Morgan Hill associated with the aerial track, Rowe said.
The council voted to direct staff to conduct a more thorough study of the elevated track’s aesthetic effects, particularly how it would impact the views of the hills and commercial properties.
The city does not want the bullet train track to pass through downtown. The council, along with the city of Gilroy council, has passed a resolution indicating its preference for an alignment along U.S. 101. Councilmembers have said a track through downtown would divide the community with noise and visual impacts, as well as a possible new disparity in downtown property values.
The HSRA is also in the process of studying alternative alignments, including a number of routes that are adjacent to U.S. 101.
