An environmental advocacy organization is calling for a more thorough review of how a proposed Old Saybrook to Kenyon, R.I., rail bypass could affect wetlands and endangered species, while an organization focused on historic preservation is raising concerns over the potential consequences to historic landmarks and the environment.

Connecticut Fund for the Environment and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation have each sent comments to the Federal Railroad Administration regarding the FRA's proposal for future investments in the Northeast Corridor. The town of Old Lyme and the Connecticut Audubon Society are among those that have already sent comments in opposition to the proposed bypass which would travel through Old Lyme and other towns in the region.

The FRA is accepting comments as it prepares to issue a final Record of Decision, after having released in December a Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement. The final Record of Decision is not expected before Wednesday.

The proposed route "directly impacts numerous historic and environmentally sensitive communities," Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation Executive Director Daniel Mackay and Director of Special Projects Gregory Stroud wrote in a letter that accompanied 40 pages of comments.

The Connecticut Trust references "significant stubborn concerns regarding potential impacts" to the Florence Griswold Museum, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, Old Lyme's National Register historic district, historic structures eligible for the National Register, and "the only major river mouth in the northeastern United States without a developed port."

The Connecticut Trust also said that given the "extraordinary challenges" associated with planning and building high-speed rail crossings over both the Connecticut and Thames Rivers, the FRA should have provided more detailed data about such work.  

"Why give a bad idea a 40-year shelf life?" Stroud said by email Monday. "Rather than continuing with a failed process, the Federal Railroad Administration still has the opportunity to drop the bypass, bring the public on board, and work toward a real solution for Southeastern Connecticut."

Connecticut Fund for the Environment wrote in its letter that it supports high-speed rail, which can act as "a major economic driver" and decrease carbon emissions produced by motor vehicles. But CFE said the FRA did not provide sufficient details in its Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement on why it chose its preferred alternative or how the alternative could affect the environment, particularly how a proposed tunnel under the Connecticut River could affect endangered and threatened species and wetlands.

"Due to the high risk that harm to wetland resources may ensue, such analysis should not be delayed to a subsequent stage of the administrative process," the letter states.

CFE Legal Fellow Andrew W. Minikowski said Monday that his organization understands the FRA is proposing a large-scale project, but the current proposal lacks the level of detail needed to make informed decisions.

"What we really would like to see from the administration is just a more detailed accounting of what they think the impacts would be," he said.

The FRA reiterated previous comments that the Record of Decision "will identify a selected alternative that will encompass a package of investment projects to improve passenger rail service in the region served by the NEC over the next several decades."

"Each project would require additional project-level planning work, including environmental analysis and engineering, in advance of any future construction," the FRA said in a written statement. "The recommendations in the NEC FUTURE ROD, like other infrastructure projects in this country, will require significant funding and community partnership before any specific projects are advanced."

k.drelich@theday.com