Media contact: 360-664-1116 or media@utc.wa.gov
Docket numbers: TR-250800, TR-250801, TR-250802, TR-250803, TR-250804, TR-250805, TR-250806
LACEY, Wash. – State regulators approved $175,000 in Grade Crossing Protective Fund (GCPF) grants to improve safety at railroad crossings in Walla Walla County.
Columbia Rail (CWW LLC) will use the funds to install new crossing signal bungalows at seven crossings around Walla Walla and College Place. Crossing signal bungalows are small buildings that house the electronic equipment that detects approaching trains and activate the warning lights and gates at the crossing.
The new bungalows will be properly sealed to better protect sensitive electronic equipment from dust, moisture, and extreme weather. They will also have heating, air conditioning, and power outlets to stabilize conditions and prevent system failures, increasing safety for crossing users.
In 1969, the Legislature created the GCPF program to fund safety measures that help reduce accidents and fatalities at public and private crossings and along railroad rights-of-way.
The UTC regulates railroad safety, including approving new rail crossings and closing or altering existing crossings, investigating train accidents, inspecting railroad crossings, approving safety projects, and promoting rail safety education through Washington Operation Lifesaver.
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