INDEPENDENCE — County commissioners will mull over a proposal to close one of two county roads four miles north of Cherryvale to make room for the relocation of the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad switchyard, now located in the middle of the Cherryvale.
Pat Cedeno, vice president of sales and marketing for Watco Companies, the Pittsburg-based parent company of the SKO Railroad, told commissioners about plans to move the railroad’s switching area to a site more conducive to rail switching. Having the switchyard in the middle of Cherryvale not only snarls traffic for motorists and the trains but also puts pedestrians at jeopardy.

“Quite frankly, there is no good way to do it,” Cedeno said of the railroad switching area now located in the middle of Cherryvale. “It’s a bad situation for the city and the railroad.”
Cedeno reminded commissioners that Cherryvale serves as the central switching hub for the SKO Railroad. The railroad sends and receives cars in all four directions on a daily basis, and the only existing place to switch the cars is in heart of Cherryvale. Any major switching involving long trains tends to cut the Cherryvale community into two sides, he said.
That’s why Watco wants to move the switching area to another location, he said.
Cedeno said Watco is poised to acquire property four miles north of Cherryvale in the vicinity of county roads 6000 and 5800, south of U.S. 400 highway and immediately east of U.S. 169 highway.
Cedeno said that for Watco to build its new switching yard, which will include as many as 35,000 linear feet of rail on six different switching tracks, will require the closure of either county road 6000 or 5800. The closure of county road 6000, which was the former U.S. 160 highway, would be more ideal as it provides the largest area for future expansion. Realizing that county road 6000 is a paved road with direct access to the Parsons Tri-Cities Airport, located one mile east of the proposed switch yard), Watco is prepared to pave county road 5900 (Anderson Road) from the intersection of county road 6000 north to U.S. 400 highway should the county agree to close county road 6000, Cedeno said.
Closing county road 5800 also is an option for the county to consider, Cedeno said, but offers less space for expansion. Watco would not pave any adjacent county roads should the commission close county road 5800, Cedeno said.
That’s why closing county road 6000 is Watco’s preferred choice, he said, as it would provide for enough space for the railroad to expand while also allowing additional space for other industries.
“We think there could be quite a spinoff of more businesses that need rail service,” said Cedeno, adding that the switch yard relocation plan had the support of the City of Cherryvale, USD 447, Cherryvale Fire-EMS Department, and the Montgomery County Action Council.
For the county commission to agree to close a county road, a public viewing and hearing must be held at the proposed closure site. Commissioners agreed to meet at the road intersection of county road 6000 at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 15, to hear questions and concerns from persons who might be affected by the road’s closure.
Robert Bever, county public works director, said a recent traffic study of county roads 6000 and county 5800 revealed a dramatic difference in traffic volumes. County road 6000 serves as an average of 285 vehicles per day while county road 5800, which is primarily used for agricultural purposes, averages about 12 vehicles per day, according to the traffic study.
Tony Fowler, commission chairman, said that he was leaning toward support of closing county road 6000 rather than county road 5800 but that he would wait until receiving public input at the June 15 public hearing before rendering a decision.