Palouse rail crossing to be improved

State regulators approved funds Aug. 21 to improve safety at a railroad crossing in Palouse. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved $20,000 from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund to pay for upgrades at a railroad-highway grade crossing at the intersection of State Route 272 and Washington & Idaho Railway tracks.

The spot is at the east end of town, leading to the state line and Potlatch.

The railroad company plans to use the funds to upgrade the existing flashing lights to long-lasting, energy efficient flashing LED lights, replace the system batteries and chargers, and install a surge protection panel and newer motion-detection technology.

These improvements will increase the overall safety at the crossing for motorists and pedestrians, who will be able to rely on these active warning devices to determine if a train is approaching the crossing.

“All of these improvements will improve the safety of that crossing,” said Dave Pratt, assistant director of safety for Washington State Department of Transportation.

“It’s not necessarily a dangerous crossing,” said Palouse Police Chief Jerry Neumann. “It’s just dilapidated. Any improvement there is long overdue.”

Speed limit at the spot of the crossing is 25 miles per hour.

The average annual daily traffic across the crossing is 1,600 vehicles a day with trucks making up about 12 percent of total traffic.

Two freight trains a day operate at 10 miles per hour over the crossing.

The upgrades must be completed by July 15, 2013. State GCPF funding is limited to $20,000 for the project. The cost of the project is expected to be $21,487. WIR will pay the difference of $1,487.

The legislature created the GCPF in 1969 to provide money for safety measures designed to decrease the potential for accidents and fatalities at public and private crossings and along railroad tracks in the state. The UTC administers the fund.

The UTC is the state agency responsible for railroad safety, including approving new grade crossings and closing or altering existing rail crossings. The agency investigates train accidents, inspects public-railroad crossings, approves rail-safety improvement projects and manages Operation Lifesaver, a rail-safety education program in Washington and nationwide.

Motorists on Highway 272 entering from Colfax already notice a railroad improvement with the paving over of two siding crossings on the entry into town after the river crossing on the north side. The wooden siding crossings had undergone extreme decay.