Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The Washington State Parks Department has begun a process to evaluate the 1915 concrete Rosalia trestle after concerns about pieces falling onto the road below.
The trestle, owned by State Parks as part of the Palouse-to-Cascades Trail (formerly John Wayne Trail), was the subject of a letter sent in May 2017 by Mark Storey, Whitman County Public Works director, after which he received a few calls from State Parks representatives, but no further action.
Earlier this month at “Battle Days” in Rosalia, County Commissioner Art Swannack mentioned it to State Representative Joe Schmick.
He in turn put in a legislative request for more information.
“I asked Parks, ‘Hey this thing is dropping stuff on the road.’ I asked what they were gonna do about it,” said Schmick. “They’re gonna take a pretty serious look at it.”
Schmick noted that re-bar is showing on the arch, part of what has been an ongoing matter. Concrete pieces of half-inch up to two inches wide have been seen on the road.
State Parks soon reacted.
“We get a request, we come up with a game plan on how to proceed,” said Dustin Madden, capital program manager for Washington State Parks, based in Tumwater.
Madden and staff looked up the Rosalia span’s original drawings in the state archives and now seek a bridge engineer to contract as a consultant.
Once hired, a report is expected in the next two months, which would include the next steps to take.
“That would be our goal,” Madden said.
In the meantime, county Public Works staff are now pricing a group of signs, to have flashing lights to warn drivers of a hazard.
“Something to get people’s attention, to get them to slow down,” Storey said. “The main thing the county cares about is that it’s not a hazard to the traveling public.”
What might the options be to secure the bridge?
“I would have to wait to see what the bridge assessment says,” Madden said.
“I don’t presume to know what their methods might be,” said Storey.
The Rosalia trestle crosses the old State Highway 271/Rosalia Road just outside town, a former railroad bridge. Any repair costs may come in the form of a capital request from State Parks or otherwise.
“We’ll see what they come up with, propose as a solution,” said Schmick.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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