— Adding a turn for trains going south on a Union Pacific track by North York Street ultimately could double rail traffic at the Port of Muskogee, its director says.

So far in 2012, the Port has handled 2,172 rail cars, containing 203,136 tons of cargo. In the first six months of 2011, the Port handled 1,440 rail cars, containing 141,359 tons of cargo.

However, the proposed rail access could cut across the Sweet 16 MX track, 3210 N. York St. Brady Ross, who owns and operates the motocross track, said it draws dozens of riders for races and private practice.

Ross said he has talked with Port officials about their proposal. “I’m not happy about it at all,” he said.

Port officials hope to expand its marshaling yard, where trains are assembled and loaded. Port Director Scott Robinson said he has been meeting with Union Pacific Railroad about expanding the yard and redesigning access from the Port’s rail line to the railroad tracks just west of York. At present, only northbound trains can turn onto the rail line leading to Johnston Terminal at the port, he said.

The Muskogee City-County Port Authority agreed to amend the Muskogee Port and Industrial Park’s development plan to include properties necessary to improve the rail access. The authority’s vote would notify affected property owners of the plan and would serve notice of a public hearing on the proposal. A date for the hearing has not been set.

“Anyone with objections or questions about this plan would be invited to the meeting,” Robinson told authority members at a recent meeting.

Ross, the owner and president of Ross Construction, said he had heard about the rail line proposal for several years but started talking with Port officials about a month ago. He said that if the Port seeks to buy him out, they’d have to pay him more than surrounding landowners. The Sweet 16 track, on Ross Construction property, makes money. The Port would have to pay what motocross tracks are worth, he said. He declined to give a figure.

Ross said scheduled motocross races in late fall draw 65 to 100 riders, and sometimes as many as 150. About 15 to 25 people use the tracks for practices on weekends.

“We’ve had the track for six or seven years, but we’ve just opened it up to the public six to eight months ago,” he said.

Robinson said it would be difficult to reconfigure the proposed rail line around the motocross track because the line is less than one-tenth mile from the Arkansas River “and a train cannot make a 90-degree turn from the river.”

He said putting the rail line south of the track “would multiply 10 times the difficulties.”

He said there are businesses and a church south of the motocross track.

Robinson said the rail project is of “critical importance” to the port.”

“We are a switching contractor with Union Pacific; we bring cars into the Port,” he said.

Robinson told the authority he was working on a cost estimate for the project.

The reconfigured rail would affect an area 100 feet south of the tracks already in place, he said.

Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.