Trains and traffic on collision course

I remember quite well the October 1996 opening ceremonies for the Argonne Underpass.

It was a much-anticipated event for all of us living in the West Valley area.

West Valley High School's band celebrated the event by marching proudly down the brand new stretch of pavement, followed by a small parade of automobiles and dignitaries.

Video cameras rolled. Children watched. Adults waved and cheered.

In the months that followed, our car trips up and down Argonne Road were something to be enjoyed.

We knew that when we reached Trent Avenue we wouldn't encounter a long and slow-moving train to interrupt our commute. No more "train planning" - and, of course, no more ready-made excuse for being late!

It did not take long for us to realize that Argonne had some brand- new best friends. Within months it seemed that Argonne had become the north-south route of choice for all of Spokane.

Increased traffic brought with it more of those challenging little dips in the pavement we lovingly know as potholes, as well as more impatient horn-honking and the inevitable fender benders.

Argonne Road now has its very own rush hour.

Back on opening day, I remember wondering just how long it would be before more underpasses and overpasses would be built at other busy railroad crossings across the Spokane Valley.

We surely need them.

We need them to prevent total gridlock on Valley roads. We need them for safety reasons.

The Spokane Regional Transportation Council is planning a feasibility study this spring of building additional overpasses and underpasses. The study will also look at the possibility of combining the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail lines through the Valley. Presently, those two sets of tracks are about a mile apart, giving some busy roads not one but two rail crossings.

As traffic becomes a bigger issue here in the Valley, I think many residents would support combining the two rail lines and building new overpasses or underpasses.

There are several busy railroad crossings that are up for discussion: Barker, Harvard, University, Park and Pines roads.

Safety comes first to mind when I think about the advantages of having additional overpasses or underpasses.

When trains are separated from the general flow of auto or pedestrian traffic, there is less likelihood of accidents such as the one that injured 11-year-old Brian Judge as he walked home from Seth Woodard Elementary School.

Park Road is heavily traveled and it is fairly close to a school. This crossing is definitely one that could use an overpass. It would ease traffic on nearby Argonne and at the same time do much to ensure the safety of students walking home from school through the neighborhood.

It would also improve traffic flow on Park by eliminating the long lines of cars waiting for trains to pass.

Pines Road is a good example of a traffic route that would benefit from combining the two rail lines. The Union Pacific tracks now cross Pines just north of the Interstate 90 interchange.

This area - where I-90 on- and off-ramps and one of the Spokane Valley Mall's major access road comes together with busy Pines - is begging gridlock.

Removing trains from this traffic equation won't solve the whole problem, but it surely would be a big step in the right direction.

When the Argonne underpass was completed, one of the positive results was an improvement of the overall business climate in the area.

This kind of improvement would be a positive for Pines Road as well.

One hundred years from now, I don't think anybody will say that the Spokane Valley has too many railroad overpasses.

Our Valley literally grew up around the railroads.

Now is the time for us to make sure that, through careful planning, we make it possible for Valley motorists to commute from one point to another, smoothly, efficiently and safely.

As I ponder the possibilities of combining the rail lines and building new overpasses or underpasses, there is still one worry. I just hope they don't try to build them all at once.

Copyright 2000 Cowles Publishing Company
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