State's 195 rebuild could end RR limbo

A pending state project for rebuilding part of South Main Street in Colfax and resurfacing Highway 195 south of town could lead to a change of status for the now-closed railroad link between Pullman and Colfax.

The railroad crosses south Main Street in Colfax at the north end of the planned highway construction project which is expected to get underway in July. Except for occasional movement of unneeded railroad cars which have been placed in storage, the railroad segment and the crossing have not been used for almost six years since a wildland fire swept up the South Palouse River valley in August of 2006.

The fire took out the wooden trestle which spanned the S. Palouse west of the Risbeck elevator. On the day of the fire the trestle was initially spared while the fire moved up the valley and took out the Risbeck elevator. The fire later rekindled the trestle’s wooden supports and destroyed the bridge.

State Highway planners anticipated the seldom used railroad crossing on S. Main Street to remain after the highway construction is done on each side of it. The highway project will start at the Cooper Street intersection which is about one-half block north of where the railroad crosses Main Street. Initial plans call for the crossing to remain in place with the rebuild of the street to go up against it on both sides.

Thomas Brash, assistant project engineer for the Department of Transportation in Spokane, said late last week that he has checked out the status of the unused railroad with other DOT officials and learned the state at present does not plan to replace the trestle and thereby restore service on the line. Brash said presence of alternate transportation routes for Colfax-Pullman shipping reduces the need for restoring the railroad line.

Brash earlier said the documentation process for taking out the crossing would be too lengthy to get it into the bidding specs for the project. The state plans to call for bids on the job April 9, and open bids May 3.

State crews last Thursday started a core drilling project on the end of S. Main which is part of the pre-bed preparations for the project.

After learning the railroad officials in the state DOT had no plans to restore the line, Brash said he urged them to decide whether or not the crossing’s removal could be included as a contract add-on for the construction project.

Excavation for new base rock is planned for the first 600 feet of the project. If the railroad remains during the work, the contractor will have to excavate up the railroad ballast on each side and then apply the new surface.

Oswald explained last week that the first version of the plan called for the contractor to build up as close as possible to the railroad to allow for the least amount of redo in the event the railroad has to remain in place until after the new highway segment is installed.

The Colfax-Pullman link for years was operated by the Union Pacific to ship grain to its mainline at Hooper via Endicott. It was also used to ship fertilizer loads to area suppliers and coal for WSU’s heating system. Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad now operates the line which is owned by the state.

Rail shipments to Pullman now have to go via the P & L line which is operated by the Washington & Idaho Railway on the former long-time NP line which was later the Burlington Northern. The P & L line itself, like the former UP line in Colfax, is now owned by the state which contracts with the operators.

Colfax city officials at different times over the six years since the rail line has been severed have noted the railroad right-of-way down the west side of the Colfax downtown area could serve as an alternate north-south town route, possibly as an alternative route which would remove pedestrians and bicycle riders from the traffic on Main and Mill Streets, the only other downtown north-south arterials.

The highway project is expected to be finished in 60 days after its July 1 start. After the base rebuild on the 600 feet of Main and the north end of the project, resurfacing of the highway will continue south to mile marker 29.4 on Highway 195.