Chamber Seeks Rail Crossing Study

Thu., April 8, 1999

By Angie Gaddy angieg@spokesman.com

Spokane Valley business leaders are asking county and state transportation officials to study ways to solve traffic snarls at Valley railroad crossings.

The Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce is asking transportation officials to fund a study of the feasiblity building railroad underpasses along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line. The chamber is proposing underpasses at Havana, Park, Vista, University, Pines, Evergreen, Barker and Harvard.

“We think it makes sense to find a way to put underpasses under them and maybe close them if there’s the need,” said Valley chamber chairman Frank Tombari.

The idea comes as railroad traffic is increasing and commuter traffic becomes more and more congested. In the Valley, more and more cars, trucks and trains are mixing, causing concerns about safety and freight movement, he said.

An average of 80 trains a day use the BNSF line through the Valley, according to county engineers.

The chamber wants the study done before next year’s legislative session. They believe there’s a chance some of these projects could be funded by the state Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, which hands out money to projects that help get goods to market on time.

There’s no estimate of how much the study would cost, or if it should be done by an outside consultant or by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, said assistant county engineer Ross Kelley.

The county would more than likely take the lead, since almost all of the roads are county roads, he said.

Kelley said county engineers would ask county commissioners to help pay for the study.

With the high number of trains and increasing congestion on county roads, safety is a huge concern.

Sometimes traffic can be backed up for up to 20 minutes at crossings. Frustrated drivers might be willing to take risks like driving around gates just to avoid the wait.

A $10 million underpass at Argonne Road near Trent opened in 1996, relieving hour-long backups.

The chamber’s Tombari hopes the proposed underpasses would do the same.

“Suddenly this provides us a number of access points through the Valley without interruption,” he said.

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