New Winona trestle gets dedication ceremony

WINONA- The new Winona trestle on the Palouse-Coulee City railroad line was dedicated Thursday morning, Nov. 2.

Speakers included 9th Legislative District Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, McGregor Co. Chairman Alex McGregor and state Department of Transportation Rail, Freight and Ports Program Manager Jason Biggs.

The new span replaces the 197-foot wooden trestle destroyed Aug. 19 in the Winona Fire, which burned 2,525 acres and several buildings.

The new bridge now stands at 210 feet and is made of steel and concrete, Transportation's Rail, Freight and Ports Division spokeswoman Janet Matkin confirmed in earlier reports.

During his speech, McGregor said his Colfax-based company has 2,500 rail cars hauling grain and fertilizer each year on the line that connects Colfax to Adams County.

"Everyone came through," he said, noting the state, within a week of the Aug. 19 fire, reported working with WATCO to develop a design.

The state also expedited permitting, and Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack worked with Biggs in making a case for an emergency replacement, he said.

"Two days later, WSDOT was working with the railroad company," McGregor said, adding that WATCO was actively sourcing materials and contractors to do the work.

Meanwhile, Transportation officials coordinated with Whitman County, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to secure permits, McGregor said.

The project was finished by Oct. 6.

Northwest Grain Growers North District Grain Manager Darrell Booth said that it was amazing how fast they got it fixed when considering how the trestle burnt down. "Initially, we thought this would be at best six months, and at worst a year out," Booth said, noting that they had it done in about a month. "Pretty impressive on how they were able to get it all out," he said.

McGregor said the replacement is a reminder of what can happen when everyone pulls together.

Booth said that at the time of the fire, the St. John growers had four unit trains scheduled to come in. "It held up shipping 1.6 million bushels that were scheduled to be shipped out," Booth said.

The restoration of the trestle has made it possible for the St. John growers to resume their shipping schedule, Booth said, noting during an interview with the Gazette on Monday, Nov. 6, they had their first train since the fire.

Booth said that on average each train is about 400,000 bushels, and on Monday, they had 109 cars, which is 406,000 bushels that were scheduled to go out.

Sen. Schoesler said all transportation systems are critical to the future.

"Today is the day I thank WSDOT," Schoesler said. "We were pretty skeptical when this happened, but this is the day I say thank you.

"Jason Biggs did a great job on this project."

Booth shared the same sentiment that the rail system is a vital part of their industry. Booth mentioned several shuttle trains, one at Four Lakes, one at McCoy, and one at Ritzville. "We rely on barge and rail, and we need both to survive," he said, noting that to rely on one is not good for the grain business, and once one goes down, it puts a lot of pressure on the other.

Biggs also thanked all parties involved, asking the WATCO team to raise their hands.

"It is evident throughout the state of Washington when it comes to the importance of PCC," Biggs said, noting the recent $73 million federal grant through the Federal Railroad Administration's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement program.

Matches from state funds brought it to a total of $112 million.

"We look forward to working with all of our local partners," Biggs said, noting that they will bring more elements like the trestle and reinforce reliable and resilient transportation.

"Prosperity for the entire state," Biggs said.