Bnsf Plans New Rail Line; County Wants Public Hearing

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad plans to add an additional set of tracks this spring to its main rail line in the eastern Spokane Valley.

However, Spokane County has asked for a public hearing on the matter.

The new tracks would run from just west of Harvard Road to Hauser, Idaho. Three railroad crossings - at Harvard, McKenzie and Idaho roads - would be reconfigured after the railroad adds the second track to its main line, which runs south of Trent Avenue.

Currently, BNSF has only one track between the Parkwater facility, near Trent and Fancher and Hauser.

“The county has reservations about adding new lines,” said county engineer Bob Brueggeman. “There’s an increased chance of adding a delay for automobile traffic. Emergency services might be delayed.”

The county also wants to know if there could be an increase in accidents, Brueggeman said.

The 11-miles of additional track would enable the railroad to move freight more efficiently, said Gus Melonas, BNSF spokesman in Seattle.

The construction of the main line project would cost $14 million, planned to begin at the end of February. The project should be complete by the end of the year.

Plans to add a second track at the Parkwater facility are on hold for budgetary reasons, he said.

An average of 2,100 cars a day cross the tracks at Harvard Road. At Idaho and McKenzie roads, an average of 900 and 870 cars a day, respectively, cross the rail fline, according to Spokane County figures.

No date for hearing has been set.

Public input would go to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, which approves changes to railroad crossings.

Typically, many cities waive their right to public hearing, said Mike Rowswell, rail carrier compliance specialist with the commission.

“It’s real difficult to disapprove a new line when there’s a real need,” he said.

Last fall, BNSF announced it wants to build a locomotive refueling station at its switching station in Hauser.

, DataTimes