STANWOOD — A convenient way into town is set to be closed to make way for another railroad track.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe filed a petition Thursday with the state Utilities and Transportation Commission to close the Logen Road railroad crossing.
With the proposed Amtrak station at Stanwood scheduled to be completed by September, the state Department of Transportation plans to upgrade and extend the siding track to allow passenger trains to stop without disrupting freight trains. The siding track will extend north past Logen Road.
The road, with its railway crossing just north of Stanwood, has been an emergency route around the city and an easy way for those who live along it to get into Stanwood.
Those who wish to comment on the proposed crossing closure have until Feb. 11 to contact the state. People who have already commented can add opinions until that date, said Kathy Hunter, transportation safety manager with the Utilities and Transportation Commission.
Construction on the Stanwood Amtrak passenger platform station is expected to begin in March. The stop will allow for passenger service on the Amtrak Cascades route between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. The new $5 million station has been in the works for about three years.
State transportation officials expect the $16 million extension and upgrade on the siding track to be completed this year as well.
The extended siding will be used for freight and passenger trains to meet and pass, which could cause trains to be parked on the siding and block the crossing for long periods of time. Eliminating the crossing would increase safety for vehicles and trains at the location, railway company officials said.
The west side of the Logen Road crossing would become a dead end. A cul-de-sac would be constructed at the existing crossing site on the east side of the road. Improvements then would be made to Dettling Road and its railroad crossing less than a mile north of Logen Road.
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Comments or questions
To comment on the proposed closure of the Logen Road railroad crossing, send an e-mail to comments@utc.wa.gov or write to David Danner, Utilities and Transportation Commission, P.O. Box 47250, Olympia, WA 98504-7250. Refer to case number TR-090121. Questions? Contact John Cupp at 360-664-1113 or jcupp@utc.wa.gov.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
