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Project Title & Location
Palouse River & Coulee City RR Acquisition -- Grant, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, & Adams Counties
Palouse River & Coulee City RR Rehabilitation--Grant, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, & Adams Counties
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Project Description
Purchase the 296-mile Palouse River and Coulee City RR to preserve the transportation corridors for long-term availability. Select operators for each Branch and make emergency repairs to provide an immediate opportunity for economically viable freight transportation operations.
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Recent Progress
Acquisition
WSDOT is working with the PCC and shippers to establish boundaries for each lease on the P & L and PV Hooper branches. This will provide the basis for preparing the final deed that will formally transfer the additional property that the State purchased in the May 2007 transaction with the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad.
Rehabilitation
The 2008 rehabilitation project for the P & L Branch was completed in late November 2008. The projects on the CW Branch and PV Hooper Branch encountered delays, but are nearly complete. Weather halted final completion. WSDOT anticipates that the PV Hooper Branch project will be completed in late March 2009, and that the CW Branch project will be completed in April 2009.
Additional Rehabilitation Projects and Oversight of Operating Leases
The PCC Rail Authority reviewed the operating railroads' business plans for 2009, and worked with the operators to clarify any issues and obtain any needed assurances.
WSDOT is directly managing the additional rehabilitation projects for 2009 at the Rail Authority's request. Only minor planning and environmental work remains. Engineering and bid preparation will begin in February 2009. The project for the PV Hooper line should be advertised for bids in early April 2009, with construction beginning in early June 2009. The projects for the other two branches will be advertised successively after the PV Hooper ad, with construction beginning no later than July 1, 2009.
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Environmental Impacts / Compliance
No environmental compiance is required, because the railroad is already in operation.
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Impacts to Traffic
Purchase of the railroad will provide an opportunity for shippers to continue to use rail as a modal choice in portions of eastern Washington. Truck traffic should be reduced as a result.
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