Opinion ID: 212365
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Barrington Grade Crossings

Text: As noted above, Community Petitioners argue, among other things, that the environmental impact statement failed to take the requisite hard look at traffic congestion and emergency responder delays in Barrington, as well as that the Board failed to adequately examine strategies for mitigating those impacts. Based on the Board's criteria, it concluded that one of Barrington's four crossings, at Hough Street, would be substantially affected by the merger, primarily because long traffic queues on Hough Street were projected to block another major thoroughfare, Northwest Highway, which also crosses the EJ & E line. The Board then determined that traffic advisory signals could cost-effectively mitigate this problem and that grade separations across Hough Street and Northwest Highway were unnecessary since neither crossing was projected to exceed Board thresholds for grade separation, such as 2400 minutes of total vehicle delay. Between publishing the draft and final environmental impact statements, the Board also commissioned an additional traffic study, which concluded not only that much of Barrington's traffic congestion stemmed from pre-existing conditions, but also that Canadian National's acquisition would increase congestion during peak morning and evening hours by only 4% to 5%. Challenging the Board's reliance on the traffic study, Community Petitioners point out that the Village of Barrington commissioned its own study showing that vehicle delays for Hough Street and Northwest Highway would far exceed the 2400 minute threshold. But we decline to consider the significance of Barrington's traffic study because, as counsel for Community Petitioners conceded at oral argument, they failed to mention their study until their reply brief, thus depriving the Board of a fair opportunity to respond. See Oral Arg. Tr. 74; see also Bd. of Regents of Univ. of Wash. v. EPA, 86 F.3d 1214, 1221 (D.C.Cir.1996) ([W]e have generally held that issues not raised until the reply brief are waived. (citations omitted)). Without their traffic study, Community Petitioners' argument that they were treated differently than similarly situated communities must fail given that the Board's study projected that the Barrington crossings would not exceed the 2400 minute threshold while those crossings warranting grade separation (Ogden Avenue and Lincoln Highway) would. We likewise find no merit to the Community Petitioners' challenge relating to emergency responders. The environmental impact statement identified which emergency responders would be substantially affected and proposed specific measures to mitigate the impact on them. NEPA requires nothing more.