BNSF continuing push to build $3.2B railway hub in Wittmann as resident vows to fight it ‘until the end’

PHOENIX —  The battle over a proposed $3.2 billion railway logistics hub in the West Valley continues, as the railroad company behind the project vows to move it forward and residents in the area continue to voice their opposition.

In a column published by the Phoenix Business Journal on Monday, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) said it is continuing with plans to build the 4,320-acre facility near 211th and Grand avenues (US 60).

This comes just more than a month after the company was handed a setback by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which voted to reject a zoning change for the project.

“Despite the vote last month when the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors decided not to correct a mapping error that affected a small portion of BNSF’s property, the rezoning case remains active,” BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent wrote.

Laura Deaver, who lives in Wittmann near the site where the hub would be built, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday that she was not surprised by BNSF’s announcement.

“We would be fools to think that we were done fighting and that they would just pack their bags and maybe choose a different location,” Deaver, who is part of a group opposing the project, said. “Our views have never changed. We cannot coexist with this project, and we will fight it until the end.”

Why do residents of Wittmann oppose BNSF railway logistics hub project?

Those who opposed the construction of the massive railway hub have voiced several concerns with the project, including:

• The lack of a safety plan for worst-case scenarios, such as a hazardous materials spill.
• The possibility of increased crime, noise and air pollution.
• The addition of 18 million square feet in warehousing space.
• The possibility of increased strain on emergency services and groundwater supplies.

However, the major concern that Wittmann residents have voiced is the impact the project could have on traffic.

“The infrastructure out here, they can’t handle it,” Deaver said.

Last month, BNSF estimated that by 2028, the railway hub would lead to about 2,700 additional vehicle trips daily on roads in the area, including Grand Avenue, State Route 74 and Dove Valley Road.

However, by 2033, that number was estimated to increase to over 15,000, and by 2038, BNSF said it would expect about 22,500 additional vehicle trips on roads in the town.

Those estimates did not include the 26,000 construction workers who would be needed to build the railway hub, which would not be fully completed until 2050, according to the Maricopa County Department of Transportation.

This additional traffic would create problems, as traffic is already over capacity during peak hours in the area where the railway hub would be built, MCDOT Director Jesse Gutierrez said during November’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

“The addition of any kind of traffic will produce additional backups and additional failure points and extend those over capacity times,” Gutierrez said. “So, we will see additional backups in both directions on (US) 60, on the 303.”

All of that has led to people in the town, including Deaver, being in disbelief that BNSF would continue pushing to build near their homes.

“There’s so many implications to this project. We haven’t even scratched the surface as far as that goes,” Deaver said. “It’s unfathomable that they would choose this location.”

Deaver added she does think this project is needed somewhere in the Valley, and that her group has identified alternative locations near Buckeye, Wickenburg and Gila Bend. All of those would be at least five miles away from homes, she added.

“Those are just areas that have the same type of state land that we have here that would be much more accommodating to a project of this magnitude,” Deaver said.

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