WHITMAN COUNTY, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Winona celebrated the restoration of the Palouse-City Line trestle just two months after it was burned to the ground.
According to WSDOT, the original bridge was a 197-foot open track deck timber structure. That structure couldn't withstand a wildfire that took it down on Aug. 19, 2023.
Now, the bridge stands at 210 feet and is made of steel and concrete, which WSDOT says will "provide greater resiliency for the future."
"This means better rail service for eastern Washington and translates to prosperity for the entire state," WSDOT Program Manager Jason Biggs said.
WSDOT says crews repaired the railroad by October. Now, the city line is reopening snd ready to resume service.
"It's a crucial railroad connection to the heart of Whitman county, the lead wheat producer in the United States," said Dr. Alex McGregor, Chair of the McGregor Company.
Eastern Washington wheat co-op Northwest Grain Growers says some of its inventory had to be re-routed due to the bridge closure.
"About 25% of our grain has to move across this trestle in order to get to export markets," Chris Peha of Northwest Grain Growers said.
Still, Peha said deliveries were never disrupted.
"We have several barge facilities on the river so we were able to meet our contract commitments through our other facilities," Peha said.
Industry leaders say global agriculture is better connected with the restoration of the Winona Trestle.
"Vital for agriculture, our economy and all the people that rely on us for essential foods our farm families produce," McGregor said.
Earlier this year, WSDOT received $73 million from a federal grant to make improvements to the PCC. State, local and private funds matched $40 million of the grant to allow more than $100 million for the project.
WSDOT says the Winona Trestle is the first of many repairs to be made to the 300 mile system.
Northwest Grains is set to be the first agency to resume service on the PCC starting this weekend.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.