
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 25, 1991                   TAG: 9102250363
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SITES FOR TRASH-TRAIN STATION STUDIED

Roanoke officials are focusing on three potential sites for a transfer station where trash from garbage trucks will be loaded onto a special train for the trip to the Roanoke Valley's proposed new regional landfill.

The sites have not been made public.

About a dozen potential sites were identified earlier, but city planners and a citizens' advisory committee are reviewing data on the three sites that are considered to be the most desirable, according to Kit Kiser, city director of utilities and operations.

The new landfill will be at Smith Gap in Roanoke County near the Montgomery County boundary, but the transfer station is expected to be in the city.

Selecting a site could be controversial because garbage trucks and private vehicles will have to be routed to the station, and nearby residents might object.

About 150 vehicles travel daily to the current regional landfill near the Blue Ridge Parkway in eastern Roanoke County.

The city Planning Commission's long-range planning committee and a citizens' advisory committee have developed criteria for ranking the sites. The committee will rank them and send the information to top city administrators and City Council, which will select one.

The city must also obtain a permit for the transfer station from the state Department of Waste Management.

Consultants have completed a study of transportation costs for hauling trash to the new landfill, but they did not recommend a sitefor the station.

The cost for transporting trash by train is estimated at $20 a ton, pushing the total disposal expense at the new facility to $55 a ton - 2 1/2 times the cost at the current landfill. It will cover the construction of a transfer station and the operation of the special train.

County officials said a trash train will cause less disruption than large trucks for residents near the landfill.

They are negotiating a long-term contract with NS to haul the trash.

The plan calls for construction of a rail siding from the railroad's main line in the vicinity of Ironto to the Smith Gap site. The railroad would build the siding and provide the rail cars for hauling trash.

The train would have 10 specially-designed cars for hauling trash and would make a daily trip to the landfill.

by CNB