Pines Road Highway-Rail Grade Separation

The Challenge

After several years of hard work, the City of Spokane Valley, WA received a $21.6 million RAISE grant to replace the existing highway-rail at-grade crossing of Pines Road (SR 27) and the BNSF Railway tracks with a new underpass. The current at–grade highway-rail crossing between Pines Road and BNSF’s mainline track is a freight corridor bottleneck and safety risk to the surrounding community. 

The Pines Road at-grade crossing upgrade was first identified in the early 2000s. Fifteen years later, both the Great Northern Corridor Coalition (GNCC) and the PNWER RIA identified this crossing as a regionally-significant and much needed project.

Grade separations to the Pines Road / BNSF crossing will save approximately four hours per day of vehicle wait time, improving traffic flow and the movement of workers and goods by improving access to I-90, SR-270 and key arterials in Spokane Valley. Reductions in vehicular wait time will also result in decreased emissions from idling cars and trucks. Safety will increase by eliminating the risk of train/vehicle, train/school bus, and train/pedestrian collisions at the railway crossing, while also improving emergency access to the local elementary school and nearby neighborhoods.

Spokane Valley’s Project Plan

The proposed grade separation project plan will provide economic, environmental, safety, and accessibility benefits to the community, as Pines Road will become an underpass beneath the BNSF rail line. The rail overpass will have as many as four rail lines, allowing the rail network to meet future freight movement demands. The Pines Road / Trent Avenue intersection will be turned into a roundabout.

Planned improvements also include a new trailhead with restrooms, EV charging, and bus parking, along with a separated shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists under the railway. These improvements will improve mobility for the community and reduce carbon emissions by providing safe alternatives to driving. Collectively, the project removes barriers, connects the community and promotes active transportation by improving access and mobility across the railway and between the adjacent businesses, elementary school, two regional parks, the Centennial Trail, the future River Loop Trail, and the Spokane River.