Whitefish sets open house for rail crossing study

The Whitefish Public Works Department is holding an open house to learn about the Whitefish Rail Corridor Crossing Study and proposed design alternatives. 

The event will be held on Wednesday, May 20, from 5-7 p.m. at the City Council Chambers in City Hall.

Whitefish received a $400,000 grant from the Federal Rail Administration to fund the study, which has a goal of identifying barriers to emergency services and wildfire evacuation, as well as mobility and access limitations these rail crossings may pose to businesses, housing, education, and recreational areas.

Crossings examined during the study include State Park Road, Birch Point Drive, Baker Avenue viaduct and East Second Street. 

The Public Works department partnered with HDR Engineering to model potential design concepts to improve each of the crossings above. These design alternatives were evaluated for potential improvement based on a variety of criteria, including delay times, improvements to reduce grade crossing risk, environmental impacts, drainage, ease of construction, emergency services access, bike/pedestrian access, and cost.

Budget and resources do not exist to implement all of the design concepts, and the city has used information from the study to arrive at recommended improvement priorities. City officials and project team members will be sharing these recommendations at the meeting.  

“Rail crossings are an important piece of infrastructure supporting both commerce and daily travel within our community, and we are seeking the public’s input on how to potentially improve these crossings for enhanced mobility, connectivity, and safety,” said Craig Workman, public works director. “We encourage all area residents to attend the open house to learn more about these rail crossings. Your input and comments have the potential to shape future projects and planning.”

The meeting will be hosted open house-style with information boards on display and subject matter experts on hand to answer questions. No formal presentation will be offered.

For questions related to this project, contact the project’s Public Involvement Lead, Brittany Cremer, at 406-384-9823 or brittany.cremer@hdrinc.com.

Additional information is available at cityofwhitefish.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/514?arc=929.