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Chapter 6: Transportation / 53 <br />Elk River Comprehensive Plan <br />Freight <br />Freight is served primarily through truck and train <br />movements. In Sherburne County the movement <br />of agricultural goods, commercial and industrial <br />products and natural resources (aggregate, etc.) are <br />the major sources of truck freight. Adding to the <br />freight mix within the City are the existing aggregate <br />and sand mines near CSAH 33, the landfi ll at the <br />northern end of the City and the concrete plants <br />located closer to the southern half of the City. Truck <br />traffi c uses TH 101, US 10, US 169 and a number <br />of county roadways to travel through the area and to <br />destinations within Elk River. <br />Rail Freight – Burlington Northern Santa Fe <br />(BNSF) Railway <br />The BNSF Railway provides freight service to the Elk <br />River area. The BNSF Railway is a Class I railroad <br />(major rail carrier that links large portions of the <br />country) that connects the west coast of the United <br />States to Chicago. The BNSF railroad roughly <br />parallels US 10 through the City of Elk River (Figure <br />6-1). In 2013, MnDOT updated its statewide <br />railroad information. According to the updated data, <br />approximately 54 trains per day use the railroad with <br />speeds up to 75 miles per hour. <br />Because many of the railroad crossings are at-grade <br />(no bridge over or roadway under the railroad), the <br />trains can have a negative impact on automobile and <br />freight traffi c fl ow, as well as pedestrian and bicycle <br />crossings. In addition to blocking travel across the <br />railroad when trains are present, the railroad bisects the <br />City, creating a physical barrier between downtown <br />and the rest of the community to the north.