AT-GRADE CROSSING MAY BLOCK RECYCLING PLANT DEVELOPMENT.

Byline: Eugene Tong  Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - A state regulator's long-standing policy restricting traffic at railroad crossings could halt the city's proposed recycling plant in its tracks.

The state Public Utilities Commission said it likely would refuse Burrtec Waste Industries the right of way to enter the 15 acres where the trash hauler plans to open a Materials Recovery Facility, officials said Tuesday.

Metrolink tracks run west of the property north of the former Keysor- Century plastics plant. Drayton Road, which crosses the tracks, is the only entrance.

``Our general policy is to oppose any new at-grade crossing, especially on a high-speed passenger rail corridor,'' PUC spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said. ``But for this particular case, we have not performed any on-site investigations yet, so therefore we do not have sufficient information to take a position.''

The agency and Metrolink operators notified the city and facility builder Burrtec about the problem weeks before the Jan. 16 Metrolink derailment in Glendale that killed 11 people and injured more than 200, city officials said.

The PUC gave city officials two options: relocate the facility, or build an overpass or underpass to bypass the tracks, with estimated costs between $60 million and $70 million.

``But that would be an impossibility,'' Councilwoman Marsha McLean said of building a tunnel or a fly-over.

``You're not talking just about building a bridge,'' said Travis Lange, the city's environmental services manager. ``There are aspects of the intersection and the street - it has a much larger impact than people realize.''

City planners have submitted the project to the PUC for review in hopes of swaying the state regulator, while officials search for alternate sites. But finding a suitable industrial property in suburban Santa Clarita could be difficult.

``To get anywhere in this city, you're going to have to cross a river, a mountain or a railroad track,'' Councilwoman Laurene Weste said. ``We don't have a lot of options. We look forward to have a meeting (with the PUC) and working this out.''

Burrtec's proposed 81,000-square-foot facility - a condition in the city granting the Fontana-based waste hauler a $35 million commercial trash contract in 2003 - is slated to open in early 2006.

The facility comes as Santa Clarita must meet or exceed state requirements to divert 50 percent of trash from landfills to avoid fines and other penalties.

In 2000, the city recycled 42 percent of its trash. Initial data compiled by state officials show Santa Clarita diverted 39 percent away from landfills in 2001.

``It's extremely important for the city to get this Materials Recovery Facility built,'' McLean said. ``It has to be in the right area, obviously. It can't be in a residential area, and it can't be in an environmentally sensitive area.

``There are still many options out there. Setbacks happen, and you just go on from there and you keep looking.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com