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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 to finalize boundaries of property in Stations in order to prepare the final deeds for the additional property that the State purchased in the May 2007 transaction with the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad.
2008-09 Rehabilitation Projects
Work will resume on the PV Hooper Branch on April 9. Work will resume on the CW Branch on April 20. All work should be completed by mid-May. The P&L Branch project was completed before the first quarter of 2009.
Additional Rehabilitation Projects and Oversight of Operating Leases
The Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad (EWG), which operates the CW Branch, encountered severe financial problems. The PCC Rail Authority and WSDOT negotiated benchmarks with EWG to allow the railroad to continue to operate. EWG met the first set of benchmarks in a timely manner, and is working hard to meet ongoing benchmarks.
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 began in February 2009. A project is being prepared for each of the three branches. They will be advertised for bids over the course of three successive weeks beginning in mid-April. Construction will start in July and will be completed by the end of November.
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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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