Trail Along Up Rail Line Advances Plummer-To-Mullan Project Gets Tentative Ok

The effort to turn a used, polluted rail line into a recreational trail took another step forward Friday.

The federal Surface Transportation Board gave preliminary approval to the project. Its environmental analysts have been reviewing Union Pacific Railroad’s request to tear up 72 miles of tracks between Plummer and Mullan, Idaho.

The right-of-way is contaminated with lead and other mining-related metals. To meet its cleanup responsibilities so it can be allowed to officially abandon the line, the railroad company has proposed capping it with asphalt from Mullan to Harrison. It would remove all contaminated soils from Harrison to Plummer, the stretch along Lake Coeur d’Alene that doesn’t face the threat of recontamination by flooding.

The railroad would pay for construction and maintenance of the hiking and biking trail, which would be managed by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Idaho Department of Recreation.

The board’s analysts said Union Pacific has met five of six conditions, including those set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The only one not yet satisfied involves historic preservation review.

If the Surface Transportation Board and a federal judge in Boise approve the rails-to-trails plan, construction will start in late spring.

This sidebar appeared with the story: MORE INFO Comments sought

The 45-day public comment period on the agency’s environmental assessment will end Feb. 22.

The assessment and decision for the line, known as the Wallace Branch, are available via the Internet (www.stb.dot.gov/).

Copies also can be obtained by calling (202) 289-4357 or writing to D.C. News & Data, 1925 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20423.