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6/17/2020
Washington state regulators last week approved more than $20,500 from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund to pay for safety improvements at grade crossings in Lewis County and near tracks in Cowlitz County.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved $20,000 from the fund to partially pay for a project related to trespass prevention in Kelso, Washington. BNSF Railway Co. will contribute an additional $20,000 to the project. The city will oversee maintenance, UTC officials said in a press release.
The project calls for replacing damaged chain-link fencing with cut-resistant fencing to prevent pedestrians from trespassing over railroad tracks. Three trespasser fatalities have occurred around the damaged fence during the past 30 months.
The commission also approved money to help pay for upgrades at 11 crossings on the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum Line (CCRM) in Lewis County.
CCRM plans to use the funds to replace a missing emergency notification system (ENS) sign and correct outdated emergency telephone numbers on ENS signs at 11 crossings.