The Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut adopted a resolution Tuesday requesting that the Federal Railroad Administration remove the Old Saybrook to Kenyon, R.I., rail bypass from its long-term proposal for the Northeast Corridor.

The resolution states that the chamber recognizes the importance of Amtrak and supports upgrades to the existing railroad bed, but has "major concern with the process applied to developing" the bypass.

"Furthermore, the board believes that the plan as presented will have a detrimental impact on culturally and historically significant communities that the region relies on for employment sustainability and economic growth and that to continue to (proceed) with this ill-conceived plan without support from the business community and the public at large, will seriously damage NEC's once in a lifetime opportunity to draft a blueprint for high-speed rail travel in the state of Connecticut."

The board said any references to the bypass should be removed from the FRA's plan "to avoid further erosion to real estate values in the vicinity of the proposed track."

The FRA is accepting comments before it issues a final Record of Decision, which is not expected before Wednesday. The FRA released in December a Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement for its preferred alternative for the Northeast Corridor.