County Wants Three More Rail Underpasses

Most Valley motorists would prefer not to spend their afternoons stopped at a rail crossing, watching a slow train pass. Nor do most truck drivers like having their Valley freight deliveries stalled by trains.

That’s why Spokane County wants to build three new railroad underpasses, similar to one that opened at Argonne Road in 1996. The new underpasses would be at Park Road, Barker Road and Evergreen Road.

Each of the three underpasses would carry four lanes of traffic beneath Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s rail line, and each would cost about $8 to $9 million, assistant county engineer Ross Kelley said.

The Legislature will consider funding the three projects this session, he said.

The underpasses were recommended by a committee set up by the Legislature in 1997 to study how freight is moved throughout the state.

“Through the Valley, the railroad becomes a barrier to traffic … all types of traffic,” Kelley said.

However, the three Valley underpasses rank low on a statewide list of 58 projects the Legislature will consider for funding. The Park Road crossing is 36th, the Barker Road crossing is 47th and the Evergreen Road crossing is 52nd, Kelley said.

If the Park Road underpass is built, the county will shut down the Vista Road crossing, to reduce the number rail crossings in the Valley, Kelley said.

Presently about 9,000 cars cross the railroad tracks daily at Park Road. An average of 80 trains a day travel the line, he said.

Since Park Road is close to the Parkwater rail yard, trains sometimes back up and block the crossing for up to four hours a day, he said.

If the Legislature approves funding, design work would begin late this summer, he said.

, DataTimes