KANSAS CITY — Two federal lawsuits seeking to halt a proposed intermodal center at Edgerton have been consolidated into one. A federal judge combined lawsuits by Gardner residents and four environmental groups. The groups had been suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Their combined suit said that in granting permits for the giant intermodal center, the Corps violated federal water-pollution rules and ignored clean-air standards requiring an environmental impact study. BNSF announced plans this week to begin preparing for the intermodal center this year and hopes to begin construction next year. Opponents said they think the lawsuits, which are still pending, will slow down the construction plans. Earlier this week, BNSF = announced this morning that it picked T.J. Lambrecht Construction and Walsh Construction to be the primary contractor The Kansas Department of Transportation also announced that it has finalized an agreement for a $35 million grant to BNSF. The facility will cover about 443 acres. Ultimately there will be a intermodal center and a logistics park of another 600 acres with warehouses and distribution center.
KDOT says the project will generate an estimated 660 construction jobs; and when it’s at full operation, it will create about 8,700 jobs.
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2 p.m.
