Published: June 26, 2008 11:58 am      

Park service determining best option for scenic railroad track relocation

CUMBERLAND - Kevin Brandt said the National Park Service is applying a method it uses for projects to help determine which is best for Canal Place - a bridge or tunnel.

Brandt, superintendent of the C&O Canal National Historical Park and a member of the Canal Place Preservation & Development Authority, briefed board members last week about the process he and others are going through to achieve the best possible result for Canal Place and various stakeholders.

While construction gets under way on the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, tourism officials know the ability to fill that hotel is based largely on what attractions can be marketed to visitors. Canal boat rides are a top priority but can only occur once an option, whether a bridge or tunnel, is chosen and constructed. The idea is to finish rewatering the canal and offer boat tours and rides, which currently are offered through the park service in Georgetown and Great Falls.

Boat operators, dressed in 1870s-era garb, help visitors there experience firsthand what life was like during that period.

The bridge or tunnel, whichever is selected, will move several feet of Western Maryland Scenic Railroad tracks out of the way of the canal rewatering. Those tracks connect to CSX track and are essential to the railroad.

Howard Buchanan, outgoing chairman of the authority, said at the board's June 17 meeting that the project is part of the "most important" development issue remaining for the board as it will be "the biggest draw for tourism."

At the last meeting presiding as chair - effective next month, Buchanan joins the board representing the Maryland Historical Trust - Buchanan said a May 23 meeting between Brandt, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and railroad officials have shown that the tunnel would cost about $500,000 less than a bridge. Experts will look at the pros and cons of each, Buchanan said, and cost may not be a determining factor.

As a practical point, if a tunnel is selected, officials must complete an environmental impact study. A similar study already has been done for the bridge concept. The only timeline the group faces is this year's deadline for the federal Transportation Enhancement Program grant, which could cover much, but not all, of the project's cost.

A February 2007 estimate figures the cost to be about $5.2 million for either project, but a tunnel would save Canal Place about $500,000 on retaining walls and a flood gate.

Brandt said the model used for park service projects includes considering how visitors are serviced, preserving historical resources and protecting natural resources. The group will be "looking at advantages" of each option and "decide which advantage or criterion is more significant" and which is "advantageous to Canal Place as a whole."

Decision-makers, including representatives of the city of Cumberland, Allegany County, Canal Place, the park service and the Army Corps of Engineers, will assign a point value to each element. Brandt said assigning that point value "elicits a lot of discussion and debate," which results in "a high level of confidence" that the right option is selected.

Barb Buehl, president of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce and a new partner in the marketing effort for Canal Place, agreed on the importance of making a decision.

The project, she said, "is the cornerstone of our tourism efforts."

"That will definitely provide an attraction that is unique to our area and really highlights the heritage of our area," Buehl said. "To me, that is one of the most important pieces of the whole Canal Place structure."

Allegany County's 20.47-mile portion of the Great Allegheny Passage was first, she said. The canal is second.

Newly appointed authority chairman Andy Vick has said the decision largely is up to the park service and the Army Corps of Engineers.

His greatest concern, he said, is that a decision be made and "that we then move forward as promptly as possible."

A meeting is scheduled for July 2 between Brandt and key stakeholders. It is not open to the public.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.