Hearing Tuesday On Railroad Crossing

A settlement conference on a planned abandonment of a Union Pacific Railroad crossing near the Bonner Mall is scheduled for Tuesday.

Union Pacific first requested authority from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to close the crossing in Ponderay in 1986. At the time, the railroad and City of Ponderay agreed that a new grade crossing for entry to the Bonner Mall would be built to the north.

When the railroad started to demolish the old crossing, however, a nearby business protested. A subsequent hearing determined that the railroad could close the crossing after it equipped the new crossing with automated flashing signals and barrier gates.

Also, state Highway 200 had to be widened to accommodate traffic turning into the mall. Those improvements have been made.

The railroad has yet to close the old crossing because of continuing objections from the City of Ponderay. Ponderay city officials still have concerns about access to the Bonner Mall from Highway 200.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Street. Representatives from the City of Ponderay, Union Pacific Railroad, the Bonner Mall and the Idaho Transportation Department will be present.