Press Releases

Ridgefield Rail Overpass Project second open house scheduled for April 25

4/11/2007 12:00:00 AM

Ridgefield, Wash: The Port of Ridgefield will host a second community open house on Wednesday, April 25, from 4-7 p.m. to present the preferred alternative for the Ridgefield Rail Overpass Project. Local residents, business owners, and property owners are invited to attend at the Ridgefield Community Center, 210 N Main Street.

Attendees will have an opportunity to comment on the preferred alternative for the project and learn more about the next steps. An overview of the project to date will be provided and formal presentations by project staff will occur at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The proposed overpass will replace the two current street-level rail crossings (at Mill and Division Streets) with a single crossing over the BNSF rail line into the Port and Lake River waterfront area. By separating road from rail, the new crossing will deliver a variety of benefits for the community, Port, house boat residents, and railroad, including:

Safer access to and from the Port and waterfront area for vehicles and pedestrians.
Unobstructed access into the Port and waterfront area. This is especially important in emergency situations.
Improved rail mobility. Unimpeded by the street-level crossings, trains would be able to move through the Ridgefield area faster and safer.
Fewer train whistles. In the absence of street-level crossings, trains would not be required to blow their whistles as frequently as a warning to drivers and pedestrians.

The preferred alternative is being selected from a range of alternatives that have been scored against a mix of evaluation criteria. The local community reviewed and commented on both the preliminary alternatives and evaluation criteria at the first project open house on March 28. The preferred alternative to be presented on April 25 will be that which best addresses the current problems and meets the project objectives while scoring highest against the criteria.

The preferred alternative will undergo further, careful study and evaluation of its environmental impacts, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

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Contact: Jordan Larner, Public Relations and Communications Manager 360.887.3873 or jlarner@portridgefield.org