Bridge washout spotlights dwindling pot for RR

A washed out bridge near Hartline has officials with the Port of Whitman County concerned.

Port commissioners July 1 approved the release of $50,000 in state railroad rehabilitation funds to repair the bridge that was wiped out by a flashflood on the northern portion of the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad.

Using that chunk to repair the bridge ate into the dollars remaining to make improvements to the 300-mile state-owned rail system.

The system consists of three shortline railroads, two of which run through Whitman County. The port is one of four entities in eastern Washington in the PCC Rail Authority, which governs the rails.

“All of a sudden this comes along and we have to dip into that pot of construction money that was unspent from last year,” said Port Executive Director Joe Poire.

The rail authority was formed in 2008 with representatives from Whitman, Spokane, Lincoln and Grant counties, the four in which the rail lines are located.

The legislature in 2007 dedicated more than $20 million from vehicle sales tax revenue to rehabilitate the line.

Over the last three years, the bulk of that money has been used to make repairs, leaving roughly $1.5 million in the pot.

“What would we have done if we didn’t have the 50 grand to redirect,” asked Poire. The state has yet to announce plans on what to do with the trestle on the Colfax to Pullman stretch of the system that burned in August 2006.

Poire said rail officials were fortunate that last year’s construction projects came in under budget, leaving some money in the kitty.

Poire said members of the rail authority are eyeing ways to whip up new revenue.

Port of Whitman officials in March put up $15,000 to help keep the authority together.

Poire said members are considering asking shippers to put up money to pay for a consultant that would seek large federal grants to pay for projects that would make the lines more efficient.

“If we don’t do those things and generate more revenue… we’re stuck,” Poire said.