Railroad Bridge Trestle Replacement Construction to Begin August 31st
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 28, 2015
For additional information, contact:
Annette Nesse, Chief Operations Officer, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe 360-681-4620 or [email protected]
Railroad Bridge Trestle Replacement Construction to Begin August 31st
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is pleased to announce that all required permits have been obtained, and construction of the new Railroad Bridge Trestle will begin on Monday August 31st. Nordland Construction NW has been retained as the contractor for construction of the replacement trestle using the design and engineering done by Otak.
Total replacement of the trestle will remove the 38 creosote timber pile bent supports from the river bed to allow the river to move more naturally through this reach and create high quality salmon habitat. It will also restore the Olympic Discovery Trail Dungeness River bike/pedestrian crossing with a trestle of modern materials that is structurally sound.
Funding of $1.53 million for the replacement project came from a Recreation and Conservation Office Salmon Recovery Funding Board (RCO-SRFB) grant. Several other sources of funding will also be used to build the project including Tribal insurance proceeds, Tribal transportation funding, a Bureau of Indian Affairs grant, a Floodplains by Design grant and a contribution from the Peninsula Trails Coalition. Additionally, a First Federal Community Foundation grant of $100,000 will be used to re-deck the Howe truss bridge portion of the crossing.
Throughout the project, the Olympic Discovery Trail from Runnion Road to the trestle will be closed. Access to the site from other directions is also prohibited for safety reasons. Park users may still go to the river to the south of the project area using the river trail from the gazebo, but they should not wade into river adjacent to bridge and trestle area from east or north.
Railroad Bridge Park will remain open during most of the construction. The contractor will work to accommodate safe viewing of the work from the Howe Truss Railroad Bridge. The park will be open for River Festival on September 25th and 26th.
The trail, trestle and bridge are anticipated to be reopened in late December 2015.
Background:
During a stormy February 2015, the Railroad Bridge Trestle across the Dungeness River was damaged. Since then, the Tribe and many of its partners have been working in consideration of both fish and humans to address the broken link across the river. This is Trust property, owned by the Tribe, which we allow the public to access for recreational purposes.
Since February, the Tribe, which owns Railroad Bridge Park, the Howe Bridge Truss, and trestle, has sought funding and worked with design engineers to determine the best fix for the trestle, which was built in the 1960s.
Total replacement was determined to be the best fix. This option addresses Tribal transportation infrastructure goals and provides for river processes, meeting important salmon habitat goals as well. Along with the engineering firm Otak, an Advisory Group consisting of representatives of the Tribe, the Dungeness River Audubon Center, the River Center Board, the Peninsula Trails Coalition, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity for Salmon and Clallam County, chose the preferred alternative. This design and engineering work was paid for with a $172,000 grant from the Washington State Recreation & Conservation Office Salmon Recovery Fund Board (RCO-SRFB).