Centennial Trail to get a route change
Community leaders stood at the edge of the asphalt Thursday, and envisioned another mile of the Centennial Trail running parallel to the Spokane River.
After months of negotiation, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. signed off on a plan this week allowing the trail to cross over its railroad tracks. The agreement paves the way for a major trail reroute.
Instead of fighting traffic on busy Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d’Alene, cyclists will pedal a ribbon of asphalt winding through the waterfront Riverstone development.
The new stretch should be ready by June. A $500,000 grant will pay for the work.
“Who says it doesn’t pay to have connections? We hired our attorney from the railroad,” City Council President Dixie Reid told the crowd.
City Attorney Mike Gridley, a former BNSF employee, spent more than a year negotiating the crossing with the railroad.
Initially, BNSF wanted a $250,000 tunnel underneath the tracks. But with only one train per day crossing that stretch of rail line, Gridley said the railroad eventually agreed to a $50 stop sign.
The reconstruction of the trail will include benches and interpretative signs. Colorful history runs along the bike route.
In the early 1900s, a horrific train wreck killed multiple people on the site, Gridley said. The area also was known for Indian encampments along the river, a hobo hangout and a thriving sawmill.
Spokane developer John Stone bought the long-vacant mill site in 1999 for housing, retail and commercial development.
He agreed to sell 25 acres along the river to Black Rock developer Marshall Chesrown. The closure of that sale was also contingent on BNSF granting the railroad crossing, Stone said.
Chesrown plans to develop about 400 condos and townhouses on the 25 acres along the Spokane River. A boardwalk will run along the river, said Eric Hedlund, Chesrown’s architect. Docks and green space also will be incorporated into the design.
Architects hope to finalize a master plan for the housing development within four weeks. Construction on the condos could begin as early as April 1, Hedlund said.