Moses Lake contractor begins dig on S. Main

Central Washington Asphalt crews from Moses Lake began digging up South Main Street in Colfax Monday as part of the state Department of Transportation’s rebuild of the south end of Main Street and resurfacing of Highway 195 approximately eight miles south.

Traffic was backed up in either direction as excavation on the two southbound lanes restricted highway traffic to two lanes, one in each direction.

Flaggers from North Star controlled travel and assisted motorists, such as those using the S. Main and Fairview routes to the south hill.

Work on S. Main will include excavation and hauling in new base rock from the Cooper Street intersection to the point where Highway 195 curves toward Pullman. Excavation was planned to go down two feet and after two days the crew had reached that level on part of the project, placed a fabric layer and deposited a leveled load of base rock.

The balance of the project calls for grinding off the surface and replacing it with hot asphalt mix. Work will continue south beyond the Babbitt Road intersection.

Crews in Colfax left entry lanes open for businesses on the west side of Main, Eddy’s Restaurant and Ace Hardware.

Barry Folsom, Jr., of Ace said construction has not had any noticeable impact to his business.

“People need stuff, they still get here, no matter what,” said Folsom.

Central Washington Asphalt received the contract for the project with a bid of $1,961,182.

The project also means a likely final end to rail service between Colfax and Pullman, as removal of the railroad crossing across South Main is being negotiated as an add-on item to the basic construction project by DOT officials.

Ryan Vincent, project manager for DOT, said just the crossing segment of the rails will be removed. After two days of work on the project the railroad remained while workers advanced the job on either side.

The railroad crossing has been out of use since 2006 when the S. Palouse River fire destroyed the Risbeck trestle across the river about three miles east of Colfax. Crews earlier this summer masked the crossing signals and rotated the lights to show commercial drivers they no longer have to make mandatory stops.

Vincent added they have projected the excavation and fill of the segment in Colfax to take two weeks per side. He said they plan to temporarily finish each side with a preliminary leveling layer of asphalt before switching operations to the opposite side of the highway. Last layer of asphalt on the Colfax segment will be applied when the final layer goes down on the rest of the project.

Earlier speculation on the status of the railroad included reports that the whole length of the rails coming into Colfax could be removed. A railroad stop marker has been placed between the tracks just north of the Wall Street intersection.

The line provided service to grain elevators at Risbeck, Parvin, Shawnee and Albion. It also provided shipping to fertilizer companies and loads of coal to the WSU power generating plant.

Future use of the railroad right-of-way, possibly as an extension of the trail system which now hooks up Pullman, Moscow and Troy, has been a forum topic in the present county commissioner race. Candidates at the Whelan forum were asked about their outlook for the right-of-way with most considering the trail an option only after a determination that the rail link would not return.

The south portion of the unused rail link continues to be used for storing unused freight cars.