Public invited to open house about Whitefish Rail Crossing Study
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 2 days, 1 hour AGO
A BNSF train rolls through the Second Street railway crossing on Nov. 10. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
The Whitefish Public Works Department invites the public to attend an open house to learn about the Whitefish Rail Corridor Crossing Study and proposed design alternatives. The event is on Wednesday, May 20, from 5-7 p.m. at the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 418 E. Second St.
The City of Whitefish received a $400,000 grant from the Federal Rail Administration to fund the study.
The goal of the study is to identify barriers to emergency services and wildfire evacuation, as well as mobility and access limitations these rail crossings may pose to businesses, housing, education, and recreational areas.
Four key crossings were examined for potential improvement during this study, including State Park Road, Birch Point Drive, Baker Avenue (Viaduct) and East Second Street.
The Whitefish Public Works department partnered with HDR Engineering to model potential design concepts to improve each of the crossings. These design alternatives were evaluated for potential improvement based on a variety of criteria including delay times, improvements to reduce grade crossing risk, environmental impacts, drainage, ease of construction, emergency services access, bike/pedestrian access and cost.
Budget and resources do not exist to implement all the design concepts, and the City has used information from the study to arrive at recommended improvement priorities. City officials and project team members will be sharing these recommendations with the public during this meeting.
“Rail crossings are an important piece of infrastructure supporting both commerce and daily travel within our community, and we are seeking the public’s input on how to potentially improve these crossings for enhanced mobility, connectivity and safety,” said Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman. “We encourage all area residents to attend the open house to learn more about these rail crossings. Your input and comments have the potential to shape future projects and planning.”
The meeting will be open house-style with information boards on display and subject matter experts on hand to answer questions. No formal presentation will be offered.
The rail corridor study is funded through a Federal Railroad Administration grant and managed by the Whitefish Public Works Department.
For more information, contact the project’s Public Involvement Lead, Brittany Cremer, at 406-384-9823 or [email protected]. There is additional information at cityofwhitefish.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/514?arc=929.